Originally Posted by
Bing
Not at all, but as with most navies the USN appears to work on a 3 for 1 ratio of hulls, i.e. you need 3 to have 1 at sea. So one in refit, one in work-up, and one deployed. Unless there's a ridiculous amount of slack in that system I can't see how 7 from 10 works for anything longer than about 9 months, at which point you've run the sailors, ships, and aircraft ragged.
Still easy way to find out, wait until this time next year and see how many carriers are deployed.
For 10 hulls, your ratio implies 3 in refit, 3 on work-up, 3 deployed and 1 somewhere in between. How is this significantly different from the status quo with 3 in refit (BUSH, VINSON, WASHINGTON), 4 on post-refit trials/work-up (STENNIS, TRUMAN, EISENHOWER, LINCOLN) and 3 deployed (REAGAN, NIMITZ, ROOSEVELT), not to mention FORD on acceptance trials and the new KENNEDY in build (
link).
Don't confuse 'at sea' with 'deployed'. USS ROOSEVELT holds the record for the longest continuous period at sea by a nuclear-powered carrier (159 days) eclipsed only by the conventionally-powered HMS INVINCIBLE (166 days). However, foreign deployments can last up to 10 months overall and this doesn't include time away from the wall for post-refit trials & pre-deployment work-up.
Originally Posted by The Virginian Pilot 18 Jan 2014
...Under current operations, aircraft carriers depart once every 32 months on deployments that are billed to last six to seven months. But global demands often stretch those tours to nine or 10 months, straining sailors, their families and maintenance schedules. Starting in November, Gortney said Wednesday at a Navy symposium in Washington, carrier strike groups will deploy once every 36 months on cruises that will be scheduled to last eight months. The longer maintenance cycle should allow for more consistency at home, Gortney said...
Last fall, the aircraft carrier Nimitz was ordered to extend its deployment and remain on station in the Red Sea as President Barack Obama contemplated a possible missile strike in Syria. That deployment ended up lasting nearly 10 months. Those sorts of extensions will probably still happen under the new deployment cycle, but they should be less common, said retired Vice Adm. Pete Daly, director of the U.S. Naval Institute and former Fleet Forces deputy commander and chief of staff.