A photographed George Washington group included three Ticonderoga-class cruisers, three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, a submarine, and supply ships. A modern group often centers on roughly four Burkes. At the same time, the United States preserved carrier numbers by accepting a single-source, slow production system for new hulls. Enterprise disposal capacity also illustrated how nuclear-carrier retirement and replacement can become linked to scarce industrial facilities. With Enterprise expected to occupy the specialized disposal capacity for about five years, an early Nimitz retirement could leave the ship waiting for a slot or require the Navy to keep funding thousands of crew.
Notable Point · 1:27:50-1:34:01
A smaller escort group meets a fragile carrier industrial base
Cold War-sized escort formations contracted while US carrier construction narrowed to a slow flow from one specialized yard.
Aircraft Carrier EscortsArleigh Burke Class DestroyersCarrier GroupsDefence Industrial BaseFleet ReplenishmentNaval ShipyardsNuclear Ship DecommissioningOliver Hazard Perry Class FrigatesShipbuilding Industrial BaseSingle Source ProcurementTiconderoga Class CruisersUSS Enterprise (CVN-65)USS George Washington CVN 73