I was honestly not aware that aircraft carriers could make such sharp turns at any speed. Watching this one trucking at high speed along the ocean and pulling such turns is amazing though, not to mention astounding. With smaller craft that are far more nimble it’s easy to imagine that they can make hairpin turns and spin around on a dime if they had to. But an aircraft carrier is a huge vessel and not at all as nimble as a speedboat or other, smaller craft. And yet in this clip you can see this massive carrier making its way along as though it’s a walk in the park.
It seems wise to not have too much stowed on the upper deck so that these maneuvers can actually work without causing any unwanted damage. Plus I wouldn’t think that anyone would be able to be standing up top either for fear that they might get tossed. Something tells me that this isn’t a standard procedure, but something used instead to put the carrier through its paces and see what it can do. There would still need to be a full crew aboard I would think, since to run an aircraft carrier takes hundreds if not at least a thousand or two people to keep it afloat and keep everything functional and working right.
Aircraft carriers are amazing ships, but a lot of them seem to be obsolete as of now. The USS Gerald R. Ford is the most current form of aircraft carrier that the United States has been working on and is meant to replace the old Nimitz-class carriers that were heavily relied on in the past. This super-carrier is run by a crew of around 2,600 and is an absolute monster on the sea. It’s thought to be almost unsinkable due to its full compliment of aircraft, its own defenses, and the retinue that it usually travels with. It is not the most nimble ship on the sea but judging by the clip if one aircraft carrier can do this then anything coming out after should be able to as well. The idea of a ship on the water that can launch up to 90 aircraft at an enemy and then employ its own defenses should be terrifying to any opponent. That’s not even mentioning the ships that are usually at the side of the carriers in order to protect them.
The cost for all these however is slightly, well no not slightly, extremely insane. Each aircraft can cost millions, while the carrier costs in the billions to make. It’s not enough to say that a lot of our country’s spending is on the military because to be quite honest military might is needed. But to think that contractors are able to quote prices that might be a markup of such proportions that they’ll be made rich just off of one particular job that has to do with the ships is a little disconcerting. Maybe I’m making something out of nothing, but the cost of each ship and aircraft, needed as they might be, is simply hard to fathom.
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