image-1 = images/AmericaCarriers/Pic-2-USS-Roosevelt-dc.jpg
title-1 = USS Roosevelt 2
description-1 = Commissioned in 1986, USS Theodore Roosevelt's homeport is in San Diego, California. The fourth Nimitz Class nuclear powered aircraft carrier is currently operating in the Pacific Ocean as part of the Northern Edge 2019 exercise.(Image courtesy of US Navy)
status-1 = 1
image-2 = images/AmericaCarriers/Pic-3-Nimitz-dc.jpg
title-2 = USS Nimitz
description-2 = USS Nimitz is the lead ship of her class, and was commissioned in 1975, Nimitz's homeport is Naval Base Kitsap in Washington. The vessel weighs almost 100,000 tonnes and is nuclear powered. Nimitz is armed with 2x Sea Sparrow systems, 2x RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles, 2x PHALANX CIWS Gatling Guns, 4x MK 38 25mm autocannon turrets and 10x .50 cal turret emplacements.(Image courtesy of US Navy)
status-2 = 1
image-3 = images/AmericaCarriers/Pic-4-Reagan-Roosevelt-Nimitz-Super-Hornets-Western-Pacific-dc.jpg
title-3 = Reagan Roosevelt Nimitz
description-3 = F/A-18 Super Hornets flying in formation above US Ships Reagan, Roosevelt and Nimitz. (Image courtesy of US Navy)
status-3 = 1
image-4 = images/AmericaCarriers/Pic-5-Carl-Vinson-dc.jpg
title-4 = Carl Vinson
description-4 = USS Carl Vinson is the US Navy's third Nimitz Class supercarrier, and is based out of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. With a crew of over 6,000, Carl Vinson has seen deployments to Operation Desert Strike, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Southern Watch and Operation Enduring Freedom. The vessel was also the site of Osama Bin Laden's burial at sea in 2011 from the ship's deck.(Image courtesy of US Navy)
status-4 = 1
image-5 =
title-5 =
description-5 =
status-5 = 0
image-6 = images/AmericaCarriers/Pic-1-USS-Roosevelt-dc.jpg
title-6 = Roosevelt 1
description-6 = USS Theodore Roosevelt in Alaska. The carrier can carry around 6,000 personnel on board, as well as 90 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. She first saw action during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, after dropping more than 2 million kilograms of ordnance before cease-fire. (Image courtesy of US Navy)
status-6 = 1
image-7 = images/AmericaCarriers/Pic-7-Reagan-dc.jpg
title-7 = Reagan 1
description-7 = Based out of Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, USS Ronald Reagan is the flagship of Carrier Strike Group Five. She is the ninth ship of the Nimitz Class and was commissioned in 2003. Ronald Reagan is fitted with an armament of ESSM systems, Rolling Airframe Missile System and CIWS. Like her sister ships, Ronald Reagan can carry around 90 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. (Image courtesy of US Navy)
status-7 = 1
image-8 = images/AmericaCarriers/Pic-9-Boxer-dc.jpg
title-8 = Boxer
description-8 = USS Boxer is a Wasp Class amphibious assault ship, and is based out of San Diego, California. Boxer is currently deployed in the Pacific to link up with US Fifth Fleet. The vessel was commissioned in 1995, and has the capability to deploy around 20 aircraft or helicopters depending on the designated mission. (Image courtesy of US Navy)
status-8 = 1
image-9 = images/AmericaCarriers/Pic-10-Kearsarge-dc.jpg
title-9 = Kearsarge
description-9 = USS Kearsarge is currently on deployment with US Fifth Fleet near Hawaii in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the central region. She is the third Wasp Class amphibious assault ship, and was commissioned in 1993. (Image courtesy of US Navy)
status-9 = 1
image-10 = images/AmericaCarriers/Pic-8-Reagan-dc.jpg
title-10 = Reagan 2
description-10 = USS Ronald Reagan is currently on deployment on a "routine summer patrol" in the Indo-Pacific region. The vessel is the only US carrier permanently deployed outside the US, with the capability to respond in the region in a few days, instead of a few weeks from the US. (Image courtesy of US Navy)
status-10 = 1
image-11 = images/AmericaCarriers/Pic-11-Makin-Island-dc.jpg
title-11 = Makin Island
description-11 = Commissioned in 2009, the USS Makin Island is currently at home port in San Diego, California. The Wasp Class LHD has a range of nearly 10,000 nautical miles at a speed of 20 knots. Makin Island conducted several operations in the Indo-Pacific in 2018, including patrolling the disputed South China Sea. (Image courtesy of US Navy)
status-11 = 1
image-12 = images/AmericaCarriers/Pic-12-Wasp-dc.jpg
title-12 = Wasp
description-12 = Based out of Sasebo, Japan, the USS Wasp is designed to accommodate new Landing Craft Air Cushion for fast troop movement, and Harrier II jets. She is also able to carry a range of Navy and Marine helicopters, Osprey aircraft, F-35B Lightning II multi-role fighter, landing craft and amphibious vehicles. (Image courtesy of US Navy)
status-12 = 1
image-13 = images/AmericaCarriers/Pic-13-Bonhomme-Richard-dc.jpg
title-13 = Bonhomme Richard
description-13 = Another Wasp Class amphibious assault ship, USS Bonhomme Richard is the flagship for Expeditionary Strike Group Seven, and has participated in several exercises alongside the Australian Defence Force, including Exercise Talisman Saber in 2017, which was followed by a week long port call in Melbourne. (Image courtesy of US Navy)
status-13 = 1
image-14 =
title-14 =
description-14 =
status-14 =
image-15 =
title-15 =
description-15 =
status-15 =
image-16 =
title-16 =
description-16 =
status-16 =
image-17 =
title-17 =
description-17 =
status-17 =
image-18 =
title-18 =
description-18 =
status-18 =
image-19 =
title-19 =
description-19 =
status-19 =
image-20 =
title-20 =
description-20 =
status-20 =

Photo essay: America's floating cities of the Pacific

Click to launch gallery

Photos

Scroll to read and see more

Across all the world’s navies, there are currently 47 commissioned aircraft carriers in service. The US has 20 of those, with half either based or active in the Pacific Ocean.

You’re out of free articles for this month

To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.

Username or Email

Password

Keep me signed in on this device.

Forgot password?

Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!

First Name

Last Name

Mobile

Organisation Type

By becoming a member, I agree to receive information and promotional messages from Defence Connect. I can opt out of these communications at any time. For more information, please visit our Privacy Statement.

Need help signing up? Visit the Help Centre.

For many around the world, the sight of a supercarrier is a potent symbol of American power, presence and prestige, and the US is keen to flex its capabilities, especially in the Pacific, with rising tensions with China becoming a focal point with the US military.

Today, strategic sea-lines-of-communication support over 90 per cent of global trade, a result of the cost effective and reliable nature of sea transport. Indo-Pacific Asia is at the epicentre of the global maritime trade, with about US$5 trillion worth of trade flowing through the South China Sea (SCS) and the strategic waterways and choke points of south-east Asia annually.

Scroll through the pictures above to see the carriers and LHDs that the US has based, or active, in the Pacific.

SHARE THIS STORY

Comments

Join the discussion

USS Roosevelt 2

Commissioned in 1986, USS Theodore Roosevelt's homeport is in San Diego, California. The fourth Nimitz Class nuclear powered aircraft carrier is currently operating in the Pacific Ocean as part of the Northern Edge 2019 exercise.(Image courtesy of US Navy)

USS Nimitz

USS Nimitz is the lead ship of her class, and was commissioned in 1975, Nimitz's homeport is Naval Base Kitsap in Washington. The vessel weighs almost 100,000 tonnes and is nuclear powered. Nimitz is armed with 2x Sea Sparrow systems, 2x RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles, 2x PHALANX CIWS Gatling Guns, 4x MK 38 25mm autocannon turrets and 10x .50 cal turret emplacements.(Image courtesy of US Navy)

Reagan Roosevelt Nimitz

F/A-18 Super Hornets flying in formation above US Ships Reagan, Roosevelt and Nimitz. (Image courtesy of US Navy)

Carl Vinson

USS Carl Vinson is the US Navy's third Nimitz Class supercarrier, and is based out of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. With a crew of over 6,000, Carl Vinson has seen deployments to Operation Desert Strike, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Southern Watch and Operation Enduring Freedom. The vessel was also the site of Osama Bin Laden's burial at sea in 2011 from the ship's deck.(Image courtesy of US Navy)

Roosevelt 1

USS Theodore Roosevelt in Alaska. The carrier can carry around 6,000 personnel on board, as well as 90 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. She first saw action during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, after dropping more than 2 million kilograms of ordnance before cease-fire. (Image courtesy of US Navy)

Reagan 1

Based out of Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, USS Ronald Reagan is the flagship of Carrier Strike Group Five. She is the ninth ship of the Nimitz Class and was commissioned in 2003. Ronald Reagan is fitted with an armament of ESSM systems, Rolling Airframe Missile System and CIWS. Like her sister ships, Ronald Reagan can carry around 90 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. (Image courtesy of US Navy)

Boxer

USS Boxer is a Wasp Class amphibious assault ship, and is based out of San Diego, California. Boxer is currently deployed in the Pacific to link up with US Fifth Fleet. The vessel was commissioned in 1995, and has the capability to deploy around 20 aircraft or helicopters depending on the designated mission. (Image courtesy of US Navy)

Kearsarge

USS Kearsarge is currently on deployment with US Fifth Fleet near Hawaii in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the central region. She is the third Wasp Class amphibious assault ship, and was commissioned in 1993. (Image courtesy of US Navy)

Reagan 2

USS Ronald Reagan is currently on deployment on a "routine summer patrol" in the Indo-Pacific region. The vessel is the only US carrier permanently deployed outside the US, with the capability to respond in the region in a few days, instead of a few weeks from the US. (Image courtesy of US Navy)

Makin Island

Commissioned in 2009, the USS Makin Island is currently at home port in San Diego, California. The Wasp Class LHD has a range of nearly 10,000 nautical miles at a speed of 20 knots. Makin Island conducted several operations in the Indo-Pacific in 2018, including patrolling the disputed South China Sea. (Image courtesy of US Navy)

Wasp

Based out of Sasebo, Japan, the USS Wasp is designed to accommodate new Landing Craft Air Cushion for fast troop movement, and Harrier II jets. She is also able to carry a range of Navy and Marine helicopters, Osprey aircraft, F-35B Lightning II multi-role fighter, landing craft and amphibious vehicles. (Image courtesy of US Navy)

Bonhomme Richard

Another Wasp Class amphibious assault ship, USS Bonhomme Richard is the flagship for Expeditionary Strike Group Seven, and has participated in several exercises alongside the Australian Defence Force, including Exercise Talisman Saber in 2017, which was followed by a week long port call in Melbourne. (Image courtesy of US Navy)