Supercarrier - Wikipedia Supercarrier For the television program, see Supercarrier ( TV series ). USS Enterprise ( rear ), the first nuclear - powered supercarrier ( 94,781 tons ; 85,984 metric tons ), and Charles de Gaulle ( front ), a medium - sized nuclear - powered carrier ( 42,500 metric tons ), in 2001. The 100,000 - ton ( 91,000 - metric - ton ) USS John C. Stennis, a modern - day supercarrier ( left ), alongside the 22,000 - metric - ton light carrier HMS Illustrious ( right ), in 1998. Chart comparing a range of aircraft and helicopter carriers, in order of longest ( top left ) to shortest ( bottom right ) Supercarrier is an unofficial descriptive term for the largest type of aircraft carrier, typically those displacing over 70,000 long tons ( 71,000 metric tons ). Supercarriers are the largest warships ever built, larger than the largest battleships laid down by any country. The United States Navy has 11 active supercarriers as of 2017. The United Kingdom 's first Queen Elizabeth - class carrier is undergoing sea trials and is expected to enter service in late 2017. The Soviet Union began constructing a supercarrier before cancelling it in 1991. Contents 1 History 2 Alternatives 3 Classes 3.1 Cancelled 3.2 Future 4 Supercarriers in service 5 Supercarriers under construction or being fitted out 6 See also 7 References 8 External links History The first ship to be described by The New York Times as a supercarrier was HMS Ark Royal in 1938, with a length of 685 feet ( 209 m ) and a displacement of 22,000 tons, designed to carry 72 aircraft. In 1943 the superlative was transferred to the 45,000 - ton Midway - class carriers as a step - up from the 27,000 - ton Essex class. The Japanese aircraft carrier Shinano, launched in 1944, was the first aircraft carrier with a standard displacement of over 65,000 metric tons. The post-war standard for supercarriers was set by the proposed USS United States and USS Forrestal. Forrestal displaced 60,000 tons standard and 78,000 tons in deep load and is considered the first operational supercarrier in the present - day sense, as used by the US press. The similar - sized United States would have been in service earlier, had it been completed ; its cancellation triggered the `` Revolt of the Admirals ''. The Soviet Union 's 85,000 - ton nuclear carrier Ulyanovsk, closely comparable in size to earlier U.S. supercarriers, was 40 % complete when it and a follow - on vessel were canceled in 1991 during post-Cold War funding cuts. As of 2015 the United Kingdom has one 70,000 - ton Queen Elizabeth - class carrier being fitted out, and another under construction, and France had until 2013 been considering building one vessel based on the same design. These ships are referred to as supercarriers by British legislators and the news media. The two Queen Elizabeth - class carriers will provide the Royal Navy with capabilities much closer to United States Navy carriers than the Invincible - class vessels retired in 2014. Giving evidence to the House of Commons Defence Committee in 2004, the First Sea Lord Alan West, Baron West of Spithead explained that interoperability with the United States Navy was as much a deciding factor of the size of the carriers as the firepower of the carrier 's airwing : I have talked with the CNO ( Chief of Naval Operations ) in America. He is very keen for us to get these because he sees us slotting in with his carrier groups. He really wants us to have these, but he wants us to have the same sort of clout as one of their carriers. Future plans for supercarriers in the United States involve the construction of the U.S. Navy 's next generation of carriers, the Gerald R. Ford class, which has a 100,000 - ton displacement. Alternatives The United States maintains eleven of these ships, with each typically operating around 45 McDonnell Douglas F / A-18 Hornet aircraft for traditional fighter, attack and electronic countermeasure roles with twelve Sikorsky SH - 60 Seahawk helicopters, four Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye airborne early warning and control aircraft and two Grumman C - 2 Greyhound carrier onboard delivery aircraft. Given carriers ' vulnerability in combat and to peacetime asymmetrical warfare attacks, the use of more and smaller carriers rather than large vessels has been suggested over the years, such as Elmo Zumwalt 's Sea Control Ship, and carriers the size of USS America carrying STOVL aircraft and Unmanned combat aerial vehicle. However, supercarrier advocates consider them to be more cost - effective than a larger number of smaller carriers. A U.S. carrier strike group costs $25 million per week for routine operations, rising to $40 million during combat operations. The mobile offshore base ( MOB ) is an extension of the supercarrier concept, a modular floating military base as large as 10 aircraft carriers. If realized, it could be moved anywhere throughout the world 's oceans, obviating the need to seek permission from allied nations for use of land bases. The concept was studied in the 1990s by the U.S. government but was abandoned in 2001 as cost prohibitive. Classes Forrestal class ( 1955 ) : Four unit class, all decommissioned Kitty Hawk class ( 1961 ) : Four unit class, all decommissioned Enterprise class ( 1961 ) : Six unit class, five cancelled, one decommissioned Nimitz class ( 1975 ) : 10 unit class, all active Gerald R. Ford class ( 2016 ) : 10 unit class, one commissioned to active service in July 2017, two under construction, one ordered, 6 planned Queen Elizabeth class ( 2016 ) : Two unit class, one undergoing sea trials, one under construction. Type 001A aircraft carrier ( 2017 ) : Single unit class, launched, fitting out. Type 002 aircraft carrier ( 2021 ) : Single unit class, under construction. Cancelled United States class ( 1950s ) : Five planned, one laid down, all cancelled CVA - 01 ( 1960s ) : Two planned, both cancelled Project 1153 Orel ( 1970s ) : Cancelled Ulyanovsk class ( 1990s ) : Two planned, one partially completed, all cancelled Porte - Avions 2 ( 2010s ) : One planned, cancelled Future INS Vishal - 65,000 - 75,000 ton displacement ( estimate - Under design phase ) Shtorm - 90,000 - 100,000 Ton displacement ( estimate - under design ) Type 003 - 110,000 ton displacement ( estimate - under design ) Supercarriers in service Country Name ( Hull number ) Length Tonnage ( mt ) Class Propulsion Type Commission US Nimitz ( CVN - 68 ) 333 333 m ( 1,093 ft ) 100020 100,020 mt Nimitz Nuclear CATOBAR 1975 - 05 - 03 3 May 1975 US Dwight D. Eisenhower ( CVN - 69 ) 333 333 m ( 1,093 ft ) 103200 103,200 mt Nimitz Nuclear CATOBAR 1977 - 10 - 18 18 October 1977 US Carl Vinson ( CVN - 70 ) 333 333 m ( 1,093 ft ) 102900 102,900 mt Nimitz Nuclear CATOBAR 1982 - 03 - 13 13 March 1982 US Theodore Roosevelt ( CVN - 71 ) 333 333 m ( 1,093 ft ) 106300 106,300 mt Nimitz Nuclear CATOBAR 1986 - 10 - 25 25 October 1986 US Abraham Lincoln ( CVN - 72 ) 333 333 m ( 1,093 ft ) 105783 105,783 mt Nimitz Nuclear CATOBAR 1989 - 11 - 11 11 November 1989 US George Washington ( CVN - 73 ) 333 333 m ( 1,093 ft ) 105900 105,900 mt Nimitz Nuclear CATOBAR 1992 - 07 - 04 4 July 1992 US John C. Stennis ( CVN - 74 ) 333 333 m ( 1,093 ft ) 105000 105,000 mt Nimitz Nuclear CATOBAR 1995 - 12 - 09 9 December 1995 US Harry S. Truman ( CVN - 75 ) 333 333 m ( 1,093 ft ) 105600 105,600 mt Nimitz Nuclear CATOBAR 1998 - 07 - 25 25 July 1998 US Ronald Reagan ( CVN - 76 ) 333 333 m ( 1,093 ft ) 103000 103,000 mt Nimitz Nuclear CATOBAR 2003 - 07 - 12 12 July 2003 US George H.W. Bush ( CVN - 77 ) 333 333 m ( 1,093 ft ) 104000 104,000 mt Nimitz Nuclear CATOBAR 2009 - 01 - 10 10 January 2009 US Gerald R. Ford ( CVN - 78 ) 337 337 m ( 1,106 ft ) 102000 102,000 mt Gerald R. Ford Nuclear EMALS CATOBAR 2017 - 07 - 22 22 July 2017 Supercarriers under construction or being fitted out Country Name ( Hull number ) Length Tonnage Class Propulsion Type Commission date Status UK Queen Elizabeth ( R08 ) 280 280 m ( 920 ft ) 070600 70,600 mt Queen Elizabeth Conventional STOVL 2017 ( expected ) Undergoing sea trials UK Prince of Wales ( R09 ) 280 280 m ( 920 ft ) 070600 70,600 mt Queen Elizabeth Conventional STOVL 2020 ( expected ) Construction complete PRC CV - 17 315 315 m ( 1,033 ft ) 070000 70,000 mt Type 001A aircraft carrier Conventional STOBAR 2018 ( expected ) Launched, fitting out PRC CV - 18 320 320 m ( 1,050 ft ) 085000 85,000 mt Type 002 aircraft carrier Conventional Steam CATOBAR 2021 ( expected ) Under construction US John F. Kennedy ( CVN - 79 ) 337 337 m ( 1,106 ft ) 102000 102,000 mt Gerald R. Ford Nuclear EMALS CATOBAR 2020 ( expected ) Under construction US Enterprise ( CVN - 80 ) 337 337 m ( 1,106 ft ) 102000 102,000 mt Gerald R. Ford Nuclear EMALS CATOBAR 2025 ( expected ) Under construction See also List of aircraft carrier classes of the United States Navy Japanese aircraft carrier Shinano Project Habakkuk Mobile offshore base Chinese aircraft carrier programme References Jump up ^ David Miller and Lindsay Peacock, Carriers : The Men and the Machines ( London and New York : Salamander, 1991 ), p. 7 : `` There are four main types of carrier in service today. Largest of these are the super-carriers displacing over 70,000 tons ; the U.S. Navy currently has fourteen, the Soviet Navy one. '' Jump up ^ 1 December 2012. `` USS Enterprise carrier taken out of active service ''. Fox News. Associated Press. Retrieved 17 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` ' HMS Queen Elizabeth takes to the water as new carrier is moved for the first time ' ''. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2015. Jump up ^ `` ' British Royal Navy 's HMS Prince of Wales to enter service ' ''. RT.com. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2015. Jump up ^ `` Reich 's Cruise Ships Held Potential Plane Carriers ''. The New York Times. 1 May 1938. p. 32. Retrieved 17 May 2015. ( subscription required ) Jump up ^ `` The Ark Royal Launched. Most Up - To - Date Carrier. Aircraft In The Fleet ''. The Times. 14 April 1937. p. 11. Jump up ^ Rossiter, Mike ( 2007 ) ( 2006 ). Ark Royal : the life, death and rediscovery of the legendary Second World War aircraft carrier ( 2nd ed. ). London : Corgi Books. pp. 48 -- 51. ISBN 978 - 0 - 552 - 15369 - 0. OCLC 81453068. Jump up ^ Norris, John G. ( 23 October 1943 ). `` World 's Largest Warships : Three 45,000 - Ton Carriers For Bombers Ordered by Navy ''. The Washington Post. p. 1. Jump up ^ `` Va. Firm Gets Giant Carrier Building Job. 65,000 - Ton Warship Will Be Largest in Postwar Program ''. The Washington Post. 8 August 1948. p. 3. Jump up ^ Donald, David ; March, Daniel J ( 2001 ). Carrier Aviation Air Power Directory. Norwalk, CT : AIRtime Publishing. p. 77. ISBN 1 - 880588 - 43 - 9. Jump up ^ MacDonald, Scot ( 1964 - 02 - 01 ). `` 14 '' ( PDF ). Evolution of Aircraft Carriers ( PDF ) format = requires url = ( help ). Washington, DC : US Government Printing Office. p. 69. The versatility of the current US carrier fleet is largely due to the operation of what the press has labeled ' super-carriers, ' heavy duty aircraft carriers of the size, power, and potency of the Forrestals and the nuclear - powered Enterprise. Jump up ^ `` Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier ''. Royalnavyinfo.com. Retrieved 17 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` House of Commons Written Questions for Answer on Monday 8 September 2003 ''. Parliamentary Debates ( Hansard ). Parliament of the United Kingdom. 8 September 2003. Jump up ^ `` House of Lords ''. Parliamentary Debates ( Hansard ). Parliament of the United Kingdom. 15 March 2007. Jump up ^ `` House of Commons Written Answers for 17 June 2008 ''. Parliamentary Debates ( Hansard ). Parliament of the United Kingdom. 17 June 2008. Jump up ^ `` Select Committee on Scottish Affairs Minutes of Evidence, Examination of Witnesses ( Questions 1 -- 19 ), 17 July 2007 ''. Parliamentary Debates ( Hansard ). Parliament of the United Kingdom. 17 July 2007. Jump up ^ `` Hoon to confirm ' supercarrier ' ''. BBC News. 22 June 2001. Retrieved 17 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` Go - ahead given for work to start on supercarriers ''. Portsmouth News. 20 May 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` VT at forefront of £ 3.9 bn supercarrier project ''. Portsmouth News. 20 May 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` Navy ( France ), Navy Assessment ''. Jane 's Sentinel Security Assessment -- Western Europe. 3 December 2008. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2008. Jump up ^ Burton, Nigel ( 11 December 2008 ). `` Navy aircraft carriers delayed ''. The Northern Echo. Retrieved 17 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` Job concerns as MoD proposes carrier delay ''. The Courier. 12 December 2008. Archived from the original on 15 December 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2008. Jump up ^ Syson, Damon ( 30 December 2008 ). `` The £ 4billion Airfix Kit : Behind - the - scenes at Britain 's biggest warships ''. Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 17 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` House of Commons Minutes of Evidence Examination of Witnesses ( Questions 540 - 559 ) ''. Parliamentary Debates ( Hansard ). Parliament of the United Kingdom. 24 November 2004. Jump up ^ Alvarez, Beto ; Robbins, Gary ( 4 July 2014 ). `` The Fleet ''. U-T San Diego : 10 -- 11. Jump up ^ Patch, John ( January 2010 ). `` Fortress at Sea ? The Carrier Invulnerability Myth ''. Proceedings. U.S. Naval Institute. 136 ( 1 ). Retrieved 17 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` Lawmaker Calls for Study on Small Carriers ''. military.com. Jump up ^ Hendrix, Henry J. ; Williams, J. Noel ( May 2011 ). `` Twilight of the $ UPERfluous Carrier ''. Proceedings. U.S. Naval Institute. 137 ( 05 ). Retrieved 17 May 2015. Jump up ^ Musciano, Walter A. ( 1997 ). Warbirds of the sea : a history of aircraft carriers & carrier - based aircraft. Schiffer. p. 553. ISBN 0 - 88740 - 583 - 5. Jump up ^ `` US Navy : Cost Of Syria Strikes Would Not Be ' Extraordinary ' ''. DefenseNews. Gannett. Agence France - Presse. 5 September 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` New Aircraft Carrier For India ''. The Diplomat. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2015. Jump up ^ Nikolai Novichkov ( 14 May 2015 ). `` Russia developing Shtorm supercarrier ''. IHS Jane 's Defence Weekly. Retrieved 16 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` China planning 110,000 - ton ' super aircraft carrier ' to rival US naval power ''. Retrieved 25 December 2014. Jump up ^ O'Rourke, Ronald ( 24 March 2015 ). `` Navy Ford ( CVN - 78 ) Class Aircraft Carrier Program : Background and Issues for Congress '' ( pdf ). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 17 May 2015. ^ Jump up to : IISS 2010, p. 206 Jump up ^ Allison, George ( 2 April 2014 ). `` Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier : A Guide ''. UK Defence Journal. Retrieved 19 February 2015. Jump up ^ `` Equipped for the Future ''. Royal Navy. Retrieved 29 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` China 's 3rd aircraft carrier to feature 3 steam catapults, no advanced launch system -- report ''. Jump up ^ `` Navy names next aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy '' ( Press release ). United States Department of Defense. 29 May 2011. Archived from the original on 20 August 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2011. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aircraft carriers. Haze Gray & Underway, World Aircraft Carrier Lists -- comprehensive and detailed listings of all the world 's aircraft carriers and seaplane tenders from 1913 to 2001, with photo gallery. Aircraft carriers of the USN Naval ships and warships in the Late Modern period Naval ship classes in service submarine auxiliary Operational zones Blue - water navy Brown - water navy Green - water navy Gun placement Broadside Central battery / casemate Turretes Aircraft carriers Aircraft cruiser Amphibious assault ship Anti-submarine warfare carrier Balloon carrier CAM ship Escort carrier Fighter catapult ship Fleet carrier Helicopter carrier Light aircraft carrier Merchant aircraft carrier Seaplane tender Submarine aircraft carrier Supercarrier Battleships Coastal defence ship Dreadnought Fast battleship Pre-dreadnought battleship Super-dreadnought ( Standard - type battleship ) Treaty battleship Cruisers Armored cruiser Battlecruiser Flight deck cruiser Heavy cruiser Pocket battleship Light cruiser Merchant raider Protected cruiser Strike cruiser Torpedo cruiser Unprotected cruiser Escort Aviso Convoy rescue ship Destroyer Destroyer escort Destroyer leader Escort destroyer Frigate Guided missile destroyer Kaibōkan Sloop Transport Amphibious transport dock Amphibious warfare ship Attack transport Dock landing ship Landing craft Landing craft carrier Landing Craft Support Landing Ship Heavy Landing ship, infantry Landing Ship Medium Landing Ship, Tank Landing Ship Vehicle Troopship Patrol craft Armed boarding steamer Armed yacht Coastal Motor Boat Corvette Gunboat Harbour Defence Motor Launch Motor Launch Naval drifter Naval trawler Ocean boarding vessel Patrol boat Q - ship Steam Gun Boat Submarine chaser Torpedo boat Fast attack craft E-boat MAS MGB Missile boat MTB MTM MTSM PT boat Shin'yō Mine warfare Danlayer Destroyer minesweeper Mine countermeasures vessel Mine planter Minehunter Minelayer Minesweeper Command and support Amenities ship Ammunition ship Auxiliary repair dock Auxiliary ship Collier Combat stores ship Command ship Crane vessel Depot ship Destroyer tender Dispatch boat Fast combat support ship General stores issue ship Hospital ship Naval tugboat Net laying ship Repair ship Replenishment oiler Submarine tender Submarines Attack submarine Ballistic missile submarine Coastal submarine Cruise missile submarine Cruiser submarine Deep - submergence vehicle DSRV Fleet submarine Midget submarine U-boat Miscellaneous Arsenal ship Barracks ship Breastwork monitor Capital ship Flagship Guard ship Littoral combat ship Monitor River monitor Training ship Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Supercarrier&oldid=803805992 '' Categories : Aircraft carriers Ship types Hidden categories : Pages containing links to subscription - only content Pages using citations with format and no URL Use American English from August 2016 All Wikipedia articles written in American English Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2017 All articles containing potentially dated statements Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2015 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from July 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia 한국어 Italiano עברית Bahasa Melayu Nederlands Português Slovenščina 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 4 October 2017, at 19 : 14. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who has the biggest aircraft carrier in the world
Answer: United States