The ship normally operates as the centerpiece of a carrier battle group commanded by a flag officer embarked in the carrier and consisting of four to six other ships, including guided missile cruisers, destroyers, frigates, replenishment ships and submarines. The ship's four catapults and four arresting gear engines enable her to launch and recover aircraft rapidly and simultaneously. The ships carry seven different types of aircraft with a total complement of more than 80 planes. During flight operations, the flight deck of 4.5 acres is a scene of intense activity, with crew, aircraft and other equipment functioning as a well-rehearsed and carefully choreographed team to ensure both efficiency and safety. Four aircraft elevators, each the size of two average city lots, bring the aircraft to the flight deck from the hangars below.
Small tractors spot the planes on the flight deck.
Aviation fuel is pumped up from tanks below, and bombs and rockets are brought up from the magazines. The weight of each aircraft determines the amount of thrust provided by the catapult. The four arresting wires, each consisting of two-inch thick wire cables connected to hydraulic rams below decks, drag landing aircraft going as fast as 150 miles per hour to a stop in less than 400 feet. The NATO Sea Sparrow Missile System is comprised of two launchers with eight missiles each. The carrier's two nuclear reactors give her virtually unlimited range and endurance and a top speed in excess of 30 knots.