Nimitz Class: CVN-71 Theodore Roosevelt
Displacement:
96,358 tons
Length:
1,040 feet
Beam:
134 feet Speed:
30 knots Power plant:
Two nuclear reactors, four steam turbines, four shafts, 280,00 shaft horsepower. Aircraft:
90 Armament:
Sea Sparrow missiles
Four Phalanx anti-missile guns
Crew:
5,300BR>

Forrestal Class: CV-60 Saratoga, CV-61 Ranger
Displacement:
75,900tons
Length:
1,063 feet
Beam:
129 feet
Speed:
33 knots
Power plant:
Eight boilers, four steam turbines, four shafts, 280,00 shaft horsepower.
Aircraft:
90
Armament:
Sea Sparrow missiles
Three Phalanx anti-missile guns
Crew:
5,180

Aircraft carriers are the ultimate in "power projection" weapons. Operating from international waters, the carrier can place 90 aircraft off a country's border in a short amount of time. In the Persian Gulf, they will be used as platforms to launch attacks on Iraqi forces and provide air support to the fleet in the Gulf.

Iraqi Counterpart: No comparable vessel

Actions in the Gulf--
Around 20% of the sorties launched by U.S. air power came from the carriers in the Gulf and the Red Sea. The six carriers on station were used to launch a variety of raids against strategic and tactical targets, along with support and command operations for Navy and Marine aircraft in the theater. Despite fears of anti-ship missile attack, the six carriers emerged from the battle unscratched and it is likely that some carrier presence will be maintained in the Gulf region for several years to come.