"95,000 tons of diplomacy.
4.5 acres of sovereign U.S. territory anywhere, any time.
The most powerful weapons system on the planet."
Propulsion system: Two nuclear power plants
Main Engines: Four
Speed: 30+ Knots (34.5 Mph) Actual Top Speed Classified
Cost: about $4.5 billion
Propellers: Four
Blades on each Propeller: Five
Aircraft elevators: Four
Catapults: Four
Arresting gear cables: Four
Overall length: 1,092 feet
Overall width: 252 feet
Beam at waterline: 134 feet
Area of flight deck: About 4.5 acres
Full load displacement: About 95,000 tons
Accommodations: About 6,000 persons
More stats on the Nimitz (which as of September 2001 will be homeported in San Diego, CA):
Nimitz reaches over 18 stories high from the keel to the top of the mast.
The Hangar Bay extends for most of the ship's length. It is used for major repair and shelters the aircraft not needed for that day's flight schedule.
Eight steam turbine generators each produce 8,000 kilowatts of electrical power, enough to serve a small city. Four distilling units enable Nimitz engineers to make over 400,000 gallons of fresh water a day, for use by the propulsion plants, catapults and crew.
Nimitz' self-defense measures include: missiles, guns, and electronic warfare. The NATO Sea Sparrow Missile System is comprised of two launchers with eight missiles each. Sea Sparrow is a radar-guided, short-to-medium range missile capable of engaging aircraft and cruise missiles.
Nimitz' Food Services Department provides 18,000-20,000 meals a day.
Nimitz can stock at least 90 days of refrigerated and dry storage goods.
Literally tons of wash are done every day by Nimitz' laundry, dry cleaning and tailoring services personnel.
Nimitz' two barber shops trim over 1,500 heads each week.
The Post Office processes more than one million pounds of mail each year.
The ship has a fully equipped dental facility, staffed by five dentists.
The Medical Department is manned by six doctors including a surgeon, who provide everything from surgery to hydro-therapy. The ship also features an 80-bed hospital ward, and acts as the hospital ship for the entire battle group.