Today, the endless expanses of seas and oceans, along with numerous ships of the merchant fleet, are plowed by warships reaching a length of several hundred meters, which are real floating "fortifications".
Today, the list of the ten largest warships in the world, in addition to American warships, includes Russian ships, in particular, "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov".
US Navy aircraft carriers
The largest aircraft carrier in the world is the US aircraft carrier USS Enterprise or CVN-65, which reaches 342.3 meters in length. Moreover, it is the first aircraft carrier to have a nuclear power plant. One load of nuclear fuel is enough for 13 years, and the distance that the ship will travel during this time is more than 1 million miles.
The ship was launched in 1961, the only ship of the five planned of this type, as it cost the US Treasury $ 451 million.
The Enterprise took part in the Vietnam War, in Operation Desert Fox, and in the operation to expel the Taliban from Afghanistan.
The aircraft carriers of the Nimitz (CVN-68) type, which are part of the US Navy, like the Enterprise, have a nuclear power plant on board.
Aircraft carriers of the Nimitz class got their name from the first ship of the same name, built in honor of Chester Nimitz - the commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet during the Second World War.
In total, 10 vessels of this type have been built since 1968. The length of the first ship from the Nimitz series, launched in 1975, was 333 m (with a deck width of 7.608 m).
Ships of this type have a displacement of 98,235 tons, but in order to clearly imagine the enormous dimensions of this vessel, suffice it to say that the ship has 16 support aircraft, as well as 48 attack aircraft and 26 deck-based helicopters.
The third largest aircraft carriers of the Kitty Hawk series (CV-63) are an enlarged version of the Forrestal aircraft carriers, but without cannons on the bow of the ship and without lifts on the starboard side.
The Kitty Hawk ships were the first oversized ships to have virtually no artillery. These are the largest non-nuclear warships with a length of 327 meters with an advanced electronics and sonar system. It should be noted that each ship of this series is unique, being similar to its counterparts only in tactical and technical characteristics.
Russian warships
The top 10 largest ships in the world include ships of the USSR and Russia. In particular, the aircraft carrier "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov", which occupies the seventh position after the American aircraft carrier Midway.
The aircraft carrier "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov", belonging to the first rank of ships of the Russian Navy, got its name from Admiral Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov. The heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser of the third generation, launched in 1990, was built at the Black Sea Shipyard, in the city of Nikolaev.
"Admiral Kuznetsov" is not the first name of the ship. At the design stage it was named "Soviet Union", during the laying down - "Riga", during launching - "Leonid Brezhnev", during tests - "Tbilisi".
This vessel, 302 m long, is designed to defeat large surface targets and protect naval formations during possible enemy attacks. So, during the campaigns, the SU-33 and SU-25TG aircraft, as well as the KA-27 and 29 helicopters, are based on it.
As of 2014, "Admiral Kuznetsov" is the only ship in the Navy in its class. In December 2007, he led a detachment of Russian warships that went on a campaign to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean, thereby reaffirming himself and his presence in the world's oceans.
"Peter the Great" - the third generation nuclear missile cruiser, as of 2008, was recognized as the world's largest attack warship, designed to destroy enemy aircraft carrier groups. Peter the Great is the flagship of the Russian Northern Fleet. The ship was laid down in 1986 at the Baltic Shipyard under the name "Yuri Andropov"; it was launched in 1998 under its current name - "Peter the Great". In the same year, the ship was included in the active fleet of the Russian Federation.
Russian warships of the near future
At this stage, the Russian Navy is at the stage of creating the largest warship - a universal super destroyer with shock, anti-submarine, anti-aircraft and anti-missile functions, which will be able to support ground forces in coastal zones with its fire, as well as to protect the Mistral helicopter carriers , And subsequently - nuclear aircraft carriers.
As expected, the new ship will be equipped with anti-ship and cruise missiles for strikes against ground targets, as well as air defense systems, missile defense and S-500 Prometey. In addition, the ship will be equipped with a hydroacoustic station and torpedoes to combat enemy underwater targets.
