A benchmark navy maintains its status partly through capabilities that other powers must respond to, and CVA-58 is assessed here in those terms. Its potential strategic impact is compared with that of the later USS Enterprise, even though CVA-58 would have used conventional propulsion. Lockheed P2 Neptune bombers were intended among its first aircraft, with a quoted range of 2,157 miles, or 1,874 nautical miles. The example turns that figure into a roughly 900-nautical-mile nuclear strike radius around the carrier group. At about 33 knots, with replenishment at sea extending its operating reach, the carrier could move that radius to a different part of an opponent's coast. From 200 nautical miles offshore, probably beyond detection in the scenario described, its aircraft could strike 700 nautical miles inland against cities and factories. That prospect would force the Soviet Union, China, or another opponent to extend its defensive depth out to sea.
Chapter · 10:29-14:56
A mobile nuclear strike radius of 900 nautical miles
A carrier 200 nautical miles offshore could, in the Neptune range example, threaten targets 700 nautical miles inland and force an opponent to extend its defensive depth.