In the 1980s, USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) stood as the last conventionally powered supercarrier actively operated by the United States Navy. Commissioned on April 29, 1961, it served actively in multiple combat missions for nearly 48 years.
Built by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, this massive vessel was powered by steam turbines, making it a formidable conventional supercarrier. During the Cold War era, it was recognized as the largest and most imposing naval vessel in the world.
Equipped with eight boilers and four turbine engines, Kitty Hawk generated a combined power output of approximately 280,000 shaft horsepower. It could reach a top speed of 32.5 knots and had a fully loaded displacement exceeding 80,000 tons, while its standard displacement was around 63,000 tons.
Measuring 325.8 meters in length, with a beam of 86 meters and a draft of 12 meters, USS Kitty Hawk was capable of carrying up to 90 aircraft, including fighter jets, helicopters, and drones. Throughout its service, it operated aircraft such as the F-4 Phantom II, A-6 Intruder, F-14 Tomcat, and later the F/A-18 Hornet.
On one mission, fully fueled, it sustained nearly 20,000 kilometers (traveling at about 20 knots) of continuous combat operations at sea. Despite a maximum speed of 32.5 knots, its endurance and operational range were remarkable. Its self-defense arsenal included RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles, RIM-116 RAM launchers, and the Phalanx CIWS system.
With a crew complement of approximately 5,600 officers, sailors, and staff, Kitty Hawk functioned as a floating airbase. Although formally decommissioned on January 31, 2009, it was maintained in a reserve status for several years due to strategic considerations by the U.S. Department of Defense.
However, in 2021, the Navy decided to permanently scrap the vessel. Dismantling began in 2023, and by mid-2025, USS Kitty Hawk had been completely dismantled.
Though not nuclear-powered, USS Kitty Hawk’s design, operational range, and combat capabilities established it as one of the most successful and powerful conventional aircraft carriers in naval history. It saw active combat during the Persian Gulf War in the 1990s and other conflicts.
As of 2025, the U.S. Navy operates approximately 11 to 12 nuclear-powered supercarriers, mainly of the Nimitz and Gerald R. Ford classes. France operates a single nuclear-powered carrier, Charles de Gaulle, built with indigenous technology.
Currently, China operates three conventional carriers (Liaoning, Shandong, Fujian), India two (INS Vikramaditya, INS Vikrant), and Russia one (Admiral Kuznetsov, with limited operational status).
Additionally, the United Kingdom operates two (Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales), Italy two, and Spain one conventional aircraft carriers. However, no country other than the United States has yet designed or built a conventional supercarrier comparable to USS Kitty Hawk.
About the Author:
Sherazur Rahman
Teacher and Science-Technology Writer
Singra, Natore, Bangladesh
sherazbd@gmail.com
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