US Aircraft Carriers Fast Facts

CNN Editorial Research

Here’s some background information about active United States aircraft carriers.

Ten of the active air carriers are in the Nimitz class and are the largest warships in the world. There is one active air carrier in the new Gerald R. Ford class; the USS Gerald R. Ford CVN-78, commissioned on July 22, 2017. Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers will eventually replace Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.

The Nimitz class and the Gerald R. Ford class are both designed to last for approximately 50 years.

USS Nimitz CVN-68
Homeport – Bremerton, Washington
Commissioned – May 3, 1975

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower CVN-69
Homeport – Norfolk, Virginia
Commissioned – October 18, 1977
Nickname – Ike

USS Carl Vinson CVN-70
Homeport – Bremerton, Washington
Commissioned – March 13, 1982

USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71
Homeport – San Diego, California
Commissioned – October 25, 1986
Completed more than 4,200 sorties in Operation Desert Storm, the most of any carrier.

USS Abraham Lincoln CVN-72
Homeport – Newport News, Virginia
Commissioned – November 11, 1989

USS George Washington CVN-73
Homeport – Norfolk, Virginia
Commissioned – July 4, 1992

USS John C. Stennis CVN-74
Homeport – Norfolk, Virginia
Commissioned – December 9, 1995

USS Harry S Truman CVN-75
Homeport – Norfolk, Virginia
Commissioned – July 25, 1998

USS Ronald Reagan CVN-76
Homeport – Yokosuka, Japan
Commissioned – July 12, 2003

USS George H.W. Bush CVN-77
Homeport – Norfolk, Virginia
Commissioned – January 10, 2009

USS Gerald R. Ford CVN-78
Homeport – Norfolk, Virginia
Commissioned – July 22, 2017