What Do You Know About American Aircraft Carriers?

America owns 11 of the 41 nuclear-powered supercarriers operating in the world in 2018. Ten of the 11 belong to the Nimitz class, and are designed to carry around 100 aircraft and 6,000 crew members.

The U.S. Navy uses CV as the hull classification symbol for aircraft carriers. Variations on this symbol include CVA for attack carriers, CVN for nuclear carriers and CVL for light carriers.

The USS Nimitz was one of the largest and most advanced aircraft carriers in the world when she was commissioned on May 3, 1975. She was still operating in 2019, and nine more ships have been built in this class using a similar design since the '70s.

Navy Admiral Chester Nimitz served as the Admiral for the Pacific Fleet during WWII. After he died in 1966, the Navy decided to honor his legacy and contributions by naming the Nimitz class of ships after him.

Built at at cost of a billion dollars in 1975 dollars, the USS Nimitz measures 1,092 feet long and has a displacement just over 100,000 tons. She's nicknamed Old Salt, and her motto is "Teamwork, a Tradition."

The Nimitz and other ships in her class utilize two nuclear reactors as their primary source of energy. This nuclear power allows Nimitz to travel 31.5 knots, or 36.2 miles per hour.

The Nimitz class ships have an expected life of 50 years. That means that the USS Nimitz herself, commissioned in 1975, is due for replacement in the 2020s.

The USS Gerald R. Ford is a supercarrier commissioned in July 2017. Designed to replace the Nimitz class, it is the first ship in the Gerald R. Ford class and is named for 38th president -- and Navy vet -- Gerald Ford.

Nimitz class ships rely on a steam-powered catapult system to launch aircraft. The introduction of the Gerald R. Ford class of ships brought the use of an electromagnetic launch system to replace the more dated technology. Swapping to this new technology means more control over planes as they make their way into the skies.

Norfolk is the homeport for more supercarriers than any other U.S. city. The Gerald R. Ford and many Nimitz class ships are situated in this Virginia port town.

Laid down in 2015, the USS John F. Kennedy is the second ship built in the Gerald R. Ford class, and features a similar design. Named after the 35th president, the ship shares its named with another aircraft carrier, CV-67, which was in operation from 1968 to 2007.

While Nimitz class ships all feature similar designs, they are divided into subclasses based on certain upgrades and features. These include the Nimitz, Roosevelt and Reagan subclasses, of which Roosevelt is the largest with five vessels.

Commissioned in 2009, the USS George H.W. Bush was the final Nimitz class aircraft carrier built by the Navy. Its nickname is Avenger, and it goes by the motto "Freedom at Work."

Of the 10 Nimitz class ships, seven are named for U.S. presidents. They include Eisenhower, Roosevelt, Lincoln, Washington, Truman, Reagan and Bush Sr.

The U.S. launched Operation Enduring Freedom against Afghanistan shortly after the 9/11 attacks. The USS Carl Vinson was sent to the Arabian Sea, and some of the first airstrikes in the operation were launched from the carrier.

Nimitz class carrier USS Harry S. Truman was stationed at Norfolk when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. The Truman rushed to the New Orleans area so her crew could support the local citizens. In 2016, the vessel was deployed for eight months in a battle against ISIL.

The USS Carl Vinson made headlines in 2011 when the body of Osama bin Laden was buried at sea from her decks. Later that year, the vessel hosted the first NCAA game ever played on an aircraft carrier.

Roosevelt was known for the idea of big stick diplomacy. It's no surprise then, that the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier goes by the nickname "The Big Stick."

In 2003, then-President George W. Bush stood on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln and declared that the U.S. had prevailed against its Iraqi enemies. At the time, a banner displayed behind Bush on the vessel declared "Mission Accomplished." Bush's speech and the banner have been the source of much criticism since that time, because 2003 was just the beginning of the warfare between the U.S. and insurgents in Iraq.

In 1980, the U.S. launched Operation Eagle Claw/Operation Evening Light in an attempt to rescue dozens of Americans taken hostage at the Iranian embassy. Eight of the choppers used in the mission launched from the deck of the USS Nimitz.

On May 22, 2008 a fire broke out aboard the USS George Washington as the crew sailed from South America to San Diego. Three dozen sailors were injured and the boat suffered $70 million in damage. The cause of the fire? A sailor smoking in an off-limits area.

John C. Stennis represented Mississippi for 42 years in the U.S. Senate. The USS John C. Stennis, commissioned in 1995, relies on its motto "Look ahead."

The battle flag on the USS Harry S. Truman features a pair of crossed cannons and the slogan "Give 'em Hell." The words come from Truman's own 1948 re-election campaign.

Christened in 2001 and commissioned in 2003, the USS Ronald Reagan was the first carrier named for a living president. Her motto is "Peace through strength," and her nickname is The Gipper, of course.

CATOBAR, or catapult-assisted takeoff barrier arrested recovery is a technology used to launch aircraft on major carrier vessels. Standard on the Nimitz class ships, it includes a steam-powered launcher and a system of wires for "catching" the plane and slowing it as it lands.

Originally known as the USS Jupiter, the USS Langley was commissioned in 1913. She used turbo-electric technology, which was cutting edge at the time, and was designed to carry 36 planes.

The 1940s were a busy time for American aircraft carriers thanks to WWII, The Navy ordered 24 Essex class carriers during the decade, each of which was capable of carrying as many as 100 aircraft.

The USS Hornet picked up the Apollo 11 astronauts as they descended back to Earth in 1969. The deck of this Essex class ship was marked with the men's first footprints back on Earth.

The Navy ordered nine Independence class carriers during the period around WWII. Each measured 622 feet long and could carry up to 30 aircraft.

The Navy operated nine Independence class carriers during the 1940s. Just one, the USS Princeton, was lost after a 1943 air attack while stationed near the Philippines.

The Navy ordered three Midway class carriers in the mid-1940s, and these ships were designed to carry as many as 130 planes. The flagship, the USS Midway, now serves as a museum in San Diego.

The Saipen class of carriers was completed after WWII, and served as a light duty alternative to larger aircraft carriers of the period. The two ships in the class -- USS Saipen and USS Wright -- could each carry just over 40 aircraft.

Named for Secretary of Defense James Forrestal, the USS Forrestal became the nation's first supercarrier. She was one of four ships in her class, and designed to carry 85 planes and 5,000 sailors.

The four ships in the Kitty Hawk class of supercarriers were commissioned between 1961 and 1968. In addition to the lead ship, the class included the USS America, John F. Kennedy and Constellation.

The USS Enterprise supercarrier was the very first vessel on Earth to incorporate nuclear power. The ship was in service from the 1960s all the way through Operation Iraqi Freedom, and was the only ship built in her class.