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USS George Washington (CVN-73)
There have been four ships in United States Navy service to have been named after the founding father, George Washington.
By Staff Writer
The USS George Washington (CVN 73) is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in service with the United States Navy. She represents the sixth such vessel of her type in the Nimitz –class of supercarriers and is named after the first president of the United States, George Washington. A handful of deployments have had her show the strength and might of the US Navy in oceans and seas around the world, becoming an integral part of the offense and defense of the United States show of force in the stand for liberty in the Global War on Terror.
A full complement of 5,680 personnel operate the various systems and subsystems of the George Washington. This includes a powerful air arm of up to 2,480 managing the air wing of fighters, strike aircraft, specialist aircraft, transports and helicopters. Like her sister ships, power is derived from her twin Westinghouse brand A4W nuclear reactors that power her 4 x steam turbines to 4 x shafts producing 260,000 shaft horsepower. A top speed of 30 knots is listed.
To compliment her offensive armament, the George Washington is fitted with several defensive systems in the case an enemy aircraft should make it past her umbrella of fighters and fleet support ships. This includes 2 x Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missile launchers, 2 x RIM-166 RAM (Rolling Airframe Missiles) launchers and 3 x 20mm Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWS). Electronic warfare is handled by way of an SLQ-25A(V)4 Countermeasures system and torpedo countermeasures as needed. Radars include a bevy of systems like the AN/SPS-48E 3-D air search, AN/SPQ-9B target acquisition and twin AN/SPN-46 air traffic control radars.
The USS George Washington was first ordered in 1982 and laid down in 1986. She was launched in 1990 and officially commissioned in 1992. Interestingly enough, she makes her homeport at Yokosuka Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan and is affectionately known by the nickname of "GW". She is currently in active service with the United States Navy.
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No Reproduction Without Permission • Corrections / Comments to MilitaryFactory at Gmail dot com
Last Updated: 11/3/2008
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| Specifications for the USS George Washington (CVN-73) |
 Dimensions: |
Length: 1092ft (332.84m)
Beam: 252ft (76.81m)
Draught: 41ft (12.50m)
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| Performance: |
Surface Speed: 30kts (35mph)
Range: Essentially Unlimited
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| Structure: |
Complement: 5,680
Suface Displacement: 97,000tons
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| Power: |
| Engine(s): 2 x Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors and 4 x steam turbines powering 4 x propeller shafts and generating 260,000shp. |
| Air Arm: |
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Up to 90 aircraft of various types including helicopters.
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| Armament Suite: |
2 x Sea Sparrow Mk 57 Mod 3 surface-to-air missile launchers
2 x RIM-166 RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile) launchers
3 x 20mm Phalanx CIWS
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| Ships in Class |
| USS Nimitz (CVN 69); USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69); USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70); USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71); USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72); USS George Washington (CVN 73); USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74); USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75); USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76); USS George W. Bush (CVN 77)
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