USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) (original) (raw)

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General Characteristics Crew List Memorabilia Cruise Books and Pamphlets History Deployments of USS Carl Vinson Notes of Interest About the name "Carl Vinson" Patch Gallery Accidents aboard the Ship Image Gallery to end of page

USS CARL VINSON is the third NIMITZ - class aircraft carrier and the first ship in the Navy named after Congressman Carl Vinson.

General Characteristics:	Keel Laid: October 11, 1975
Launched: March 15, 1980
Commissioned: March 13, 1982
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News, Va.
Propulsion system: two nuclear reactors
Main Engines: four
Propellers: four
Blades on each Propeller: five
Aircraft elevators: four
Catapults: four
Arresting gear cables: four
Length, overall: 1,092 feet (332,85 meters)
Flight Deck Width: 252 feet (76,8 meters)
Area of flight deck: about 4,5 acres
Beam: 134 feet (40,84 meters)
Draft: 37,7 feet (11.3 meters)
Displacement: approx. 97,000 tons full load
Speed: 30+ knots
Planes: approx. 85
Crew: Ship: 3,200
Crew: Air Wing: 2,480
Armament: two Mk-57 Mod 3 Sea Sparrow launchers, three <ahref=".. weapons="" phalanx.htm"="">20mm Phalanx CIWS Mk 15, two <ahref=".. launcher="" ram.htm"="">Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Systems</ahref="..></ahref="..>
Homeport: San Diego, Calif.

Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS CARL VINSON. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

Click here to view the list. back to top go to the end of the page
Click here to see which USS CARL VINSON memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

USS CARL VINSON Cruise Books and Pamphlets:

Notes of Interest:

Congressman Carl Vinson became the first person in the history of the United States to witness a launching in his honor.
In 1983, the CARL VINSON crossed the equater the first time at 0 longitude and 0 latitude for shell back initations.
In February, 1997, USS CARL VINSON was the platform for the last carrier launches and recoveries of the A-6E Intruder.

About the Carrier�s Name, about Congressman Carl Vinson:

Carl Vinson was born in Baldwin County, Georgia, on November 18, 1883. The son of Edward S. and Annie Morris Vinson, he attended Georgia Military College in Milledgeville and was graduated from the Mercer University Law School with an LL.B. degree in 1902, beginning practice on June 5 of that year.

Rep. Vinson's appointment as Baldwin County Prosecutor in 1904 began a career of more than 60 years of service in public office. In 1909, he was elected to the Georgia General Assembly, serving there until 1912. He returned to Baldwin County in late 1912 to serve as County Court Judge.

On November 3, 1914, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives to fill an unexpired term. He served in Congress for more than 50 years - the longest service of any House Member in the history of the United States. Titles such as "Father of our modern Navy" and "Aviation's Elder Statesman" barely describe his contributions, for few others have done so much for the defense of the country.

Rep. Vinson was among the nation's leading advocates of naval power. More than any other person, he was responsible for the buildup of the US Navy and its air power before World War II. Admiral Nimitz, the Pacific Fleet Commander, said of him, "I do not know where this country would have been after December 7, 1941, if it had not had the ships and the know-how to build more ships fast, for which one Vinson Bill after another was responsible."

Carl Vinson's philosophy concerning military preparedness throughout his career is just as valid today. "The most expensive thing in the world is a cheap Army and Navy", he said. "History has shown that weakness invites attacks." He supported the policy that the naval strike forces, including ships such as CARL VINSON should be nuclear-powered.

Rep. Vinson had served a total of 50 years and one months in the House of Representatives when he retired in January 1965. He returned to Milledgeville where he resided until his death on June 1, 1981.

Click here to get a view of the deployments of USS CARL VINSON

USS CARL VINSON Patch Gallery:


		Click here to view more CARL VINSON Patches.

Accidents aboard USS CARL VINSON:

Date	Where	Events
August 16, 1986	Pacific	A freak wave washes over an elevator of the USS CARL VINSON injuring one man and sweeping seven others into the Pacific Ocean. They were quickly rescued by HS-4 personnel and PAUL F. FOSTER (DD 964).
October 31, 1989	620 miles north of Wake Island	A sailor is lost after being washed overboard from the CARL VINSON.
February 18, 1996	W-291 Operating Area of off southern California	During a CompTuEx (Competitive Training Unit )- training mission, Cdr. L. Scott "Scooter" Lamoreaux, former CO of VF-2, at that time serving on VINSON's Battle Group's CruDesGru Staff, conducted a simulated anti-ship attack. CDR Lamoreaux was acting as the RIO in F-14D side number 111 with pilot LT Terrence "Bluto" Clark at the controls. As they conducted their first supersonic run over the target ship, they encountered a sudden and severe flight control problem that caused their aircraft to exceed it's flight limitations and break up catastrophically in flight. The crew was killed instantly. Their wingman, side number 206, assumed on scene commander and executed a search and rescue effort. Both deceased crew were recovered and brought to the flight deck of the USS CARL VINSON. Later investigation revealed a burn through of 111's afterburner liner allowing hot engine gases to impinge and burn through flight control rods causing the mishap.
February 18, 2003	Western Pacific	At approx. 8.15 p.m. an F/A-18C of VFA-147 crashed about 45 miles from the aircraft carrier. The pilot safely ejected from the aircraft prior to the crash. One of CARL VINSON's helicopters, which was airborne at the time of the crash, was immediately dispatched to conduct rescue operations. The pilot was recovered by the helicopter crew, was uninjured and was returned to CARL VINSON.
May 2, 2005	Persian Gulf	Following a mid-air collision, two VMFA-323 F/A-18Cs disappear from the radar screens while flying over Iraq. Both pilots are killed.
April 21, 2017	off the Philippines	An F/A-18E assigned to VFA-137 crashes while on final approach to the CARL VINSON. The pilot ejects and is safely recovered by a helicopter of HSC-4.
Undated		A maintainer gets the cranial sucked right off his head when he gets too close to the intake of an A-6E. The cranial FODs the engine.Click here to watch a clip of the accident. .mpg file, 2.65 MB

The photos below were taken by Ian Johnson and show the CARL VINSON anchored in Gage Roads, Fremantle, Australia, on April 17, 2003, during her seventh visit to Fremantle.

The photos below were taken by me on February 2, 2009, and show the CARL VINSON at Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipyard during her Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH). The F/A-18 visible on some photos was taken aboard just a few weeks before the photos were taken. It serves as a training tool for CARL VINSON's air department crew.

			Click here to view more photos.

The photos below were taken by me and show the CARL VINSON leading the parade of ships into San Francisco Bay as part of Fleet Week San Francisco. The photos were taken on October 8, 2011. Note the crew firing saluting batteries on the second photo.

The photos below were taken by me and show the CARL VINSON undergoing her 7-month Planned Incremental Availability at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif. The photos were taken in early October 2012.

The photo below was taken by Henry Schnutz on August 27, 2013, and shows the CARL VINSON at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the CARL VINSON undergoing a 6-month Planned Incremental Availability at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif. The photos were taken on October 2, 2015.

The photo below was taken by Sebastian Thoma and shows the CARL VINSON at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., on January 9, 2016.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the CARL VINSON at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., on April 18, 2016.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the CARL VINSON at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., on October 6, 2016.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the CARL VINSON at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., on October 11, 2017.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the CARL VINSON at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., on May 29, 2022.

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