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The Soon Coming Judgment Of God Upon America and How To Escape It 49
submarine missiles; torpedoes; and Harpoon missile. They are equipped with two triple torpedo
tubes; two Phalanx close in defense systems; and the Aegis combat system.
The Ticonderoga Class Cruisers carry four helicopters, two SH-2 Seaspirit (Lamps) and
two SH-60 Sea Hawks (Lamps III). They are 567 feet long, are powered by four gas turbines,
can travel at 30 knots, have a crew of 364 and cost about $1 billion each.
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Destroyers – The Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyers was commissioned in
1991. They are “the most powerful surface combatants ever put to sea.” They are equipped with
the latest radar, sonar and missile systems. Each ship is equipped with 56 Tomahawk cruise
missiles; 8 Harpoon anti-ship missiles; Standard SAMs; ASROC vertical launch anti-submarine
missiles; torpedoes with two triple tube launchers; one 5-inch, 55 caliber gun mount; 2 Phalanx
close in defense system; and the Aegis combat system.
The Arleigh Burke class incorporate heavy steel construction for damage control. They
are 466 feet long; they are powered by four gas turbines; they can do 30 knots; and have a crew
of 346. They cost about $1 billion each.
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Aircraft Carriers – The US has thirteen aircraft carriers in operation and two in reserve.
The modern day aircraft carrier is essentially a floating airbase. The state of the art is the Nimitz
Class Aircraft Carrier which are the largest and most powerful warships in the world. The
carriers strategic firepower comes from its 85 aircraft. The composition of a carriers air wings
can be tailored to meet the needs of the mission. Nimitz Class Carriers are powered by nuclear
reactors and steam turbines. The US has a total of 10 nuclear powered carriers, nine of which are
Nimitz Class. The newest is the Ronald Reagan which was commissioned in 2003 at an
approximate cost of $4.5 billion. Its nuclear powered engines can run continuously for 20 years
without refueling.
Nimitz Class Carriers are 1,092 feet long (over three football fields); the flight decks over
252 feet long; the entire deck covers over 4.5 acres; and it sits over 20 stories above the
waterline. The crew consists of over 5,500; the ship carries enough supplies to feed the crew for
90 days.
Nimitz's are equipped with state of the art radar and they are well armed for self defense.
Among the many armaments are three launchers for Sea Sparrow (RIM-7M) Surface to Air
missiles.
A wide variety of aircraft are include aboard the air wing of the Ronald Reagan
“including the F/A-18 Hornet and F/A-18 Super Hornet strike fighters, the F-14 Tomcat fighter,
the E-2 Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft, the C-2 Greyhound logistics aircraft, the S-3
Viking anti-submarine aircraft, the EA-6 Prowler electronic warfare aircraft and the multi-role
SH-60 and MH-60 helicopters.”
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Submarines – The vast majority of US submarines consist of the Los Angeles Class Fast
Attack Submarines; San Juan Class Fast Attack Submarines; and the Ohio Class Ballistic Missile
Submarines. All three of these classes of submarines are powered by nuclear reactors. The attack
subs are designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface vessels; they can also
perform land attacks and provide special operations support. The US has 55 attack subs. The Los
Angeles and San Juan Classes are 360 feet in length; have a crew of 135 and can maintain 32
knots while submerged. They are equipped with four torpedo launch tubes and torpedoes;
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