Compiled By : Gp Capt Kumar Kirinde (Retd) SLAF
USS Gerald R Ford
Full load displacement of 100,000t makes the Gerald R Ford Class the world’s biggest aircraft carrier. The first carrier in class, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), was delivered to the US Navy in May 2017, while initial operational capability achieved in 2020.
The CVN-78 features a 78m-wide flight deck equipped with electromagnetic aircraft launch system and advanced arresting gear. The carrier has the capacity to carry more than 75 aircraft and can accommodate 4,539 personnel including ship’s company, air wing and other support staff.
Gerald R Ford is powered by two A1B nuclear reactors offering 250% more electrical capacity than the Nimitz Class. The weaponry includes RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles, Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAMs) and Phalanx close-in weapon system (CIWS).
Dmitriy Donskoy -Typhoon-class submarine
In a world of naval supremacy, aircraft carriers may be the largest naval ships to sail the seas, but arguably a submarine the size of nearly two football fields is a little more intimidating. The typhoon class submarines of the Russian navy are the largest submersible ships that have ever been built. More specifically, a Russian submarine known as Dmitriy Donskoy, TK-208, is the world’s largest submarine.
The Typhoon class, Soviet designation Project 941 Akula (meaning “shark”, NATO reporting name Typhoon), is a class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines designed and built by the Soviet Union for the Soviet Navy. With a submerged displacement of 48,000 tonnes, the Typhoons are the largest submarines ever built, able to accommodate comfortable living facilities for the crew of 160 when submerged for months on end. The Typhoon is capable of traveling at 28 kn (52 km/h; 32 mph) underwater.
Besides their missile armament, the Typhoon class features six torpedo tubes designed to handle RPK-2 (SS-N-15) missiles or Type 53 torpedoes. A Typhoon-class submarine can stay submerged for 120 days in normal conditions, and potentially more if deemed necessary (e.g., in the case of a nuclear war). Their primary weapons system is composed of 20 R-39 (NATO: SS-N-20) ballistic missiles (SLBM) with a maximum of 10 MIRV nuclear warheads each. Technically, Typhoons were able to deploy their long-range nuclear missiles while moored at their docks.
Sources: https://www.naval-technology.com/features/feature-the-10-biggest-aircraft-carriers_4067861-4067861/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon-class_submarine https://interestingengineering.com/biggest-submarine-in-the-world-dmitriy-donskoy Google Images
