America's conventional super-carriers held the line between the aging Essex and Midway classes and the modern Nimitz class. They are about 1000 feet long and their flight decks over 200 feet wide, and weighing about 65000 tons. These ships were powered by steam, developed by burning petroleum, rather than steam generated by cracking the atom. Used heavily from the 1960s to to 2000s, these ships were all decommissioned in the past 10 years or so.
The US Navy must be looking at ways to clear pier space or perhaps just to say money, because the conventional-powered super-carriers will soon be no more. First the USS Forrestal was towed to Brownsville, Texas for scrapping, then the Saratoga, and most recently, the USS Constellation have been slated for scrapping.
Sadly, the day for Constellation to leave her pier is close at hand. Constellation, which has been housed at Bremerton, Washington for several years, will be towed around South America and all the way to Brownsville, Texas, which is fast becoming a graveyard for aircraft carriers. Yes, it must be done, but what a sad end to noble ships. Connie will begin her final journey, this Friday. August 8, 2014.
Interestingly, the Forrestal was sold for one cent, whilst it appears the government accepted $3 million dollars for Connie...
You can read more here, and here.
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