Three Aircraft Carriers to Change Homeports

From Commander, Naval Air Forces Public Affairs

The U.S. Navy announced Aug. 2 that three Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) will conduct homeport shifts.

USS Abraham Lincoln, currently located in Norfolk, Virginia, will rejoin the Pacific Fleet, making San Diego its homeport. Abraham Lincoln, commissioned in 1989, previously served in the Pacific Fleet from 1990-2011 before moving to Norfolk for midlife refueling.

The other two carrier homeport shifts are tied to carrier maintenance. John C. Stennis, currently homeported in Bremerton, Washington, will change homeports to Norfolk in advance of its midlife refueling, or reactor complex overhaul (RCOH) at Newport News Shipbuilding. John C. Stennis was commissioned in 1995; Nimitz-class carriers are built to last 50 years.

USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) will conduct a homeport change to Bremerton in advance of its docking-planned incremental availability (DPIA) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

Where in the world are our aircraft carriers?

This is a current map showing the areas where our carriers are currently situated. Notice the lack of any activity in the Med/Persian Gulf.

 

 

Click on image to enlarge view. Map courtesy of the Reddit
Source info for the map is here: http://www.gonavy.jp/CVLocation.html

The US Navy Carrier - Life on a Flight Deck

Want to see what life is like on the deck of a US Navy aircraft carrier? Check out the link below to a doc piece that aired on the Discovery Channel about the USS John C. Stennis. While it is a bit dated, we don't fly the S-3 or F-14s any more, you will get an idea what life is like on a flight deck of a US Navy aircraft carrier. BTW I was one of the guys on deck wearing a white shirt.

Milcom Factoid: One US aircraft carrier has a more powerful air force than 70% of all countries.

click here

Aircraft Carrier Air-Wing Assignments and Composition Report - Update

There are many sites that list the material below. Most are out of date. Here is the latest information as of 8/14/2007. Thanks to Adam, Greg and Mac for their updates.

CVW-1 LANT USS Enterprise (CVN-65)
AB 100 VFA-211 F/A-18F Fighting Checkmates
AB 200 VMFA-251 F/A-18C Thunderbolts
AB 300 VFA-136 F/A-18C Knighthawks
AB 400 VFA-86 F/A-18C Sidewinders (transitioning to F/A-18E this FY)
AB 500 VAQ-137 EA-6B Rooks
AB 600 VAW-123 E-2C Screwtops
AB 610 HS-11 HH-60H/SH6-F Dragonslayers
AB ### VRC-40 Det 2 C-2A Rawhides

CVW-2 PAC USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)
NE 100 VFA-2 F/A-18F Bounty Hunters
NE 200 VFA-137 F/A-18E Kestrels
NE 300 VFA-151 F/A-18C Vigilantes
NE 400 VFA-34 F/A-18C Blue Blasters
NE 500 VAQ-131 EA-6B Lancers
NE 600 VAW-116 E-2C Sun Kings
NE 610 HS-2 HH-60H/SH-60F Golden Falcons
NE 700 HSL-47 SH-60B Saberhawks
NE ### VRC-30 Det 2 C-2A Providers

CVW-3 LANT USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75)
AC 100 VFA-11 F/A-18F Red Rippers
AC 200 VFA-32 F/A-18F Swordsmen
AC 300 VFA-37 F/A-18C Bulls
AC 400 VFA-105 F/A-18E Gunslingers
AC 500 VAQ-130 EA-6B Zappers
AC 600 VAW-126 E-2C Seahawks
AC 610 HS-7 HH-60F/SH–60F Dusty Dogs
AC ### VRC-40 Det 5 C-2A Rawhides

CVW-5 PAC USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63)
NF 100 VFA-102 F/A-18F Diamondbacks
NF 200 VFA-27 F/A-18E Royal Maces
NF 300 VFA-192 F/A-18C Golden Dragons
NF 400 VFA-195 F/A-18C Dambusters
NF 500 VAQ-136 EA-6B Gauntlets
NF 600 VAW-115 E-2C Liberty Bells
NF 610 HS-14 HH-60F/SH–60F Chargers
NF ### VRC-30 Det 5 C-2A Providers

CVW-7 LANT USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69)
AG 100 VFA-143 F/A-18E Pukin' Dogs
AG 200 VFA-103 F/A-18F Jolly Rogers
AG 300 VFA-83 F/A-18C Golden Warriors
AG 400 VFA-131 F/A-18C Wildcats
AG 500 VAQ-140 EA-6B Patriots
AG 600 VAW-125 E-2C Tigertails
AG 610 HS-5 HH-60F/SH–60F Night Dippers
AG ### VRC-40 Det 3 C-2A Rawhides

CVW-8 LANT USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)
AJ 100 VFA-31 F/A-18E Tomcatters
AJ 200 VFA-213 F/A-18F Blacklions
AJ 300 VFA-15 F/A-18C Valions
AJ 400 VFA-87 F/A-18A+ Golden Warriors
AJ 500 VAQ-141 EA-6B Shadowhawks
AJ 600 VAW-124 E-2C Bear Aces
AJ 610 HS-3 HH-60H/SH-60H Tridents
AJ ### VRC-40 Det 1 C-2A Rawhides

CVW-9 PAC USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74)
NG 100 VFA-154 F/A-18F Black Knights
NG 200 VMFA-323 F/A-18C Death Rattlers
NG 300 VFA-146 F/A-18C Blue Diamonds
NG 400 VFA-147 F/A-18C Argonauts
NG 500 VAQ-138 EA-6B Yellow Jackets
NG 600 VAW-112 E-2C Golden Hawks
NG 610 HS-8 HH-60F/SH–60F Eightballers
NG 700 VS-31 S-3B Topcats
NG ### VRC-30 Det 4 C-2A Providers

CVW-11 PAC USS Nimitz (CVN-68)
NH 100 VFA-41 F/A-18F Black Aces
NH 200 VFA-14 F/A-18E Tophatters
NH 300 VMFA-232 F/A-18A+ Red Devils
NH 400 VFA-81 F/A-18C Sunliners
NH 500 VAQ-135 EA-6B Black Ravens
NH 600 VAW-117 E-2C Knighthawls (sometimes known as the Wallbangers)
NH 610 HS-6 HH-60F/SH–60F Indians
NH ### VRC-30 Det 3 C-2A Providers

CVW-14 PAC USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76)
NK 100 VFA-22 F/A-18E/F/A-18F Fighting Red Cocks (Surge deployed with two Super Hornets)
NK 200 VFA-115 F/A-18E Eagles
NK 300 VFA-113 F/A-18C Stingers
NK 400 VFA-25 F/A-18C Fist of the Fleet
NK 500 VAQ-139 EA-6B Cougars
NK 600 VAW-113 E-2C Black Hawks
NK 610 HS-4 HH-60F/SH–60F Black Knights
NK ### VRC-30 Det 1 C-2A Providers

CVW-17 LANT USS George Washington (CVN-73)
AA 500 VAQ-132 EA-6B Scorpions
AA 600 VAW-121 E-2C Bluetails
AA 610 HS-15 HH-60F/SH–60F Red Lions
AA 700 VS-22 S-3B Checkmates
AA ### VRC-40 Det 4 C-2A Rawhides

CVWR-20 Reserve CAG
Naval Reserve Air-wing CVWR-20 based at NAS Atlanta, Marietta, GA. CVWR-20 is not assigned a VS squadron. During exercises or time of war, an active duty squadron would join the wing. VAW-77 is officially attached to CVWR-20. However, her mission is strictly drug enforcement and does not include any type of carrier operations. VFC-12 and VFC-13 are Naval Reserve adversary squadrons designed to train Navy pilots to fight different modern foreign fighters that may be on the other side in a war. They are considered non-deployable. The two squadrons replaced the active duty "Aggressor" squadrons VF-43, VF-45 and VF-126.

AF 400 VFA-204 F/A-18A+ River Rattlers
AF 500 VAQ-209 EA-6B Star Warriors
AF 600 VAW-77 E-2C Nightwolves
AF 610 HS-75 SH–60F Emerald Knights (disestablished March 1, 2007)
AF ## VFC-111 F-5F/N Sundowners
AF ## VFC-12 F/A-18C Fighting Omars (C model came from VFA-87)
AF ## VFC-13 F-5E/F/N Saints

Unit Deployment Program (UDP)
VFA-94* F/A-18C Mighty Shrikes
VFA-97* F/A-18A War Hawks
* VFA-94 and VFA-97 are attached to the Marine Corps under the Unit Deployment Program (UDP).

Russia Building an Indian Aircraft Carrier. Is China Next?

According to a news article on AsiaNews.it:

Moscow recently approved a rearmament package up to 2015. Of the US$ 192 billion allocated to the program, 25 per cent will go into building new ships, including six new nuclear-powered aircraft carriers to be built over the next 20 years. Although it still has about 300 ships, the Russian Navy was badly neglected after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Some analysts dismiss talk of rebuilding a navy with global reach as propaganda ahead of parliamentary elections later this year, but others suggest that it is more than bluster because Russia is now earning an estimated US$ 1 billion every two days from its energy exports, and so has the means to do it.

Moreover, India and China depend to a significant degree on Russia for their own naval needs. However, Russian naval builders have recently had problems and had to announce a three-year delay in the construction of a US$ 1.5 billion aircraft carrier for India.

For Beijing a carrier would be a fundamental addition to its navy if it wanted to stand up to the United States and secure its energy supplies (which travel through the Strait of Malacca) or even mount a possible military intervention against Taiwan.

If China decides to develop a carrier for training and eventual operation, it may use the Varyag, a Kuznetsov-class Soviet carrier that was only 70 per cent complete when the Soviet Union broke up. Although it was bought by a Chinese firm in 1998, the mainland would still require help from Russia to bring the Varyag into service.