For the fourth-generation member of the CAF, remembrance is ‘deeply personal’
Ella Matteabout 11 hours ago
Lt.-Cmdr. Jordan Thwaites is a fourth-generation member of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) who is stationed out of CFB Esquimalt.
He was born in Halifax to a father who was a warfare officer for more than 35 years. His father was also a lieutenant commander and the commanding officer of HMCS Miramichi and HMCS Chaleur.
“He loved going to work every day,” Thwaites said about his father. “He had incredible stories of sailing around the world, meeting people, and going places that seemed to be the result of almost unlimited good luck. All of this he attributed to having chosen the world’s greatest career. I knew from the time I was fairly young that I wanted to serve in the military and, after university, I decided I would start by trying my luck with the same job that brought so many memories to my father.”
Thwaites joined the CAF in 2007, eventually being posted to HMCS Toronto in Halifax.
“I joined the ship and sailed the next day for work-ups and it was the proverbial ‘drinking from a fire hose’ experience,” said Thwaites. “We had a great group of bridge watch keepers (BWKs) under training at the time and there was certainly a healthy atmosphere of friendly competition and comradery amongst us. I spent my two years under training sailing when and where I could in Toronto and St. John’s sailing first to the Arctic and then to the Caribbean primarily.”
In 2011, after Thwaites completed his professional qualification, he had the opportunity to sail in the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels (MCDVs) Moncton and Goose Bay as a BWK. This was a special experience for Thwaites since at the time, the vessels were still primarily crewed by naval reservists.
“The officers and crews are much smaller and tight-knit compared to the large warships I was used to,” said Thwaites. “I enjoyed a lovely summer around Atlantic Canada and out on the Grand Bank getting to focus on my skills as a mariner.”
Afterward, Thwaites was sent on an exchange with the Royal New Zealand Navy, where he sailed in Wellington and Otago as a BWK and training officer. He had the great fortune of visiting essentially all of New Zealand by land and sea, with his visit culminating in a voyage to Antarctica where he had the chance to drive in Otago in great ice fields and see the most remote continent.
After Thwaites toured around New Zealand, he was selected to be an aide-de-camp for Governor General David Johnson in 2013. His two-year duty at Rideau Hall was a “career highlight,” said Thwaites.
“It has always been a career aspiration of mine to be an adie-de-camp for the governor general. I almost couldn’t believe my luck with my commanding officer at the time recommending me … while at Rideau Hall, I received an incredible education in etiquette, diplomacy, and kindness from the incredible staff who worked there.”
Thwaites, like many, joined the CAF for the adventure – a chance to see the world, experience new things, challenge themselves and do things many don’t get to do in a normal job. Now that he has been a part of the CAF for some time, helping people is the most rewarding part of his job.
“Sometimes that’s a small thing, helping someone with something small that makes their day easier, or a joke or a kind word,” said Thwaites. “Other times it’s helping them out with big things in their career or their life. Once in a while, you get to work with someone over the year or many years and get to see them succeed and come into their own and that’s great. Because we are all always learning something new, there’s ample opportunity.”
For the past 16 years, leaving home has been a normal part of Thwaites’s life.
“For me, life aboard the ship is almost as familiar as life at home,” he said. “You come to know and enjoy your routine in many ways, for me a big part of it is unwinding reading before I go to sleep. I had always been a bachelor, so now with a wife, there are new challenges, but despite the long stints away from home, we do receive large blocks of leave, especially following a deployment where we can focus on uninterrupted quality time together.”
Currently, the lieutenant commander is aboard the Indo-Pacific mission back on HMCS Vancouver. The crew moves frequently between different patrol areas responding to intelligence as it comes in. Thwaites describes it as “extremely dynamic.”
Thwaites is proud to have grown up with a family that has a proud tradition of service. His retired NWO father wasn’t the only CAF member of the family. His great-grandfather served in the First World War in the infantry from 1914 to 1918. His grandfather took part in the D-Day landings and then in Holland as part of Operation Market Garden as a tank commander.
Before Thwaites even enrolled in the Navy, he worked for Veterans Affairs Canada as a tour guide and caretaker in France at both Beaumont-Hamel, Newfoundland’s national First World War memorial, and Canada’s Vimy Ridge.
“I visited memorials and cemeteries from Normandy to Dieppe and the Somme to Ypres. It’s not nearly as hard to think of their deaths as it is to think of the lives they didn’t get to live or the lives their loved ones had to live without them. For me, remembrance is a deeply personal and spiritual experience and something so deeply a part of my life growing up and my own service now that I don’t remember a time without it,” said Thwaites.
“I’m deeply grateful for all those who have served, those who serve alongside me now, and all those Canadians who work to make our country and the world a better, safer place.”
November 6, 2023 12:53 PM • Updated: November 6, 2023 9:40 PM
USNI News Graphic
These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of Nov. 6, 2023, based on Navy and public data. In cases where a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship.
Ships Underway
Total Battle Force
Deployed
Underway
291 (USS 232, USNS 59)
106 (USS 74, USNS 32)
76 (52 Deployed, 24 Local)
In Sasebo, Japan
From left, Takuya Kaneko, chairman of the Sasebo Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Capt. Michael Fontaine, commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Vice Adm. Tateki Tawara, commandant of JMSDF Sasebo District, and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) Brig. Gen. Shingo Nashinoki, commander of Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, stand in review of JGSDF members during the Sasebo Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) Parade in Sasebo, Japan Nov. 3, 2023. U.S. Navy Photo
Sailors reset an arresting gear wire following a landing on the flight deck aboard the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), during flight operations in support of the Multi-Large Deck Exercise with USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer JS Hyuga (DDH-181), in the Philippine Sea, Nov. 5. U.S. Navy Photo
The Reagan Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is underway in the Western Pacific. USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) and other ships with the Reagan Carrier Strike Group recently made a port call in Manila, Republic of the Philippines, from Oct 28 to Nov. 1.
On Nov 3, USS Dewey (DDG-105), a forward-deployed guided-missile destroyer assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15, conducted a freedom of navigation exercise in the “excessive claim area” near the Spratly Islands, which are claimed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan, with features also claimed by the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. Unlike previous news releases about FONOPs near the Spratlys, U.S. 7th Fleet did not give more detail about where Dewey sailed.
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG-105) receives fuel and supplies from the fleet replenishment oiler USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199) during an underway replenishment while operating in the South China Sea, Nov. 5. U.S. Navy Photo
China, Vietnam and Taiwan require prior notification before a warship sails by the Spratlys, which violates international law, according to the release. Dewey‘s FONOP, without prior notification, was meant to challenge the claims by China, Vietnam and Taiwan.
“Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas, including the freedoms of navigation and overflight, free trade and unimpeded commerce, and freedom of economic opportunity for South China Sea littoral nations,” reads the release.
Dewey‘s FONOP comes the day after USS Rafael Peralta (DDG-115) and Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ottawa (FFH-341) conducted a Taiwan Strait transit. The two ships were tailed by Chinese aircraft and warships, USNI News reported.
Carrier Strike Group 5
Aircraft Carrier
The U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), departs Manila Bay, Philippines, after a routine port visit, Nov. 1. U.S. Navy Photo
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), homeported in Yokosuka, Japan.
Carrier Air Wing 5
Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Aircraft Handling) Jared Scifert, from Monticello, Ind., signals the launch of aircraft on the flight deck aboard the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), in the South China Sea, Nov. 2. U.S. Navy Photo
Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, is embarked aboard Ronald Reagan and includes a total of nine squadrons and detachments:
The “Royal Maces” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 27 – from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan.
The “Diamondbacks” of VFA-102 from MCAS Iwakuni.
The “Eagles” of VFA-115 from MCAS Iwakuni.
The “Dambusters” of VFA-195 from MCAS Iwakuni.
The “Shadowhawks” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 141 – from MCAS Iwakuni.
The “Tiger Tails” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 125 – from MCAS Iwakuni.
The “Providers” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 30 – Detachment 5 – from MCAS Iwakuni.
The “Golden Falcons” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 12 – from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan.
The “Saberhawks” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 77 – from Naval Air Facility Atsugi.
Cruisers
USS Robert Smalls (CG-62), homeported in Yokosuka, Japan.
USS Antietam (CG-54), homeported in Yokosuka.
Destroyer Squadron 15
Lt. j.g. Bryan Nguyen, from Fairfax Station, Va., stands watch on the bridge aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG-115) in the Taiwan Strait, Nov. 2. U.S. Navy Photo
Destroyer Squadron 15 is based in Yokosuka, Japan, and is embarked on the carrier.
USS Rafael Peralta (DDG-115), homeported in Yokosuka, Japan.
USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group deployed on Oct. 12. The CSG is operating in the Philippine Sea.
Carrier Strike Group 1
Carrier
USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), homeported at San Diego, Calif.
Carrier Air Wing 2
The “Bounty Hunters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 2 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.
The “Stingers” of VFA 113 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore
The “Warhawks” of VFA 97 – F-35C – from Naval Air Station Lemoore
The “Golden Dragons” of VFA 192 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore
The “Gauntlets” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 136 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
The “Black Eagles” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 113 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.
The “Titans” of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30 – CMV-22B – from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
The “Blue Hawks” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 78 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station North Island
The “Black Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 4 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station North Island
Cruiser
USS Princeton (CG-59), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
Destroyer Squadron 1
Sailors pose for a photo during a costume contest held on the mess decks as part of a ship-wide Halloween observance while deployed underway aboard Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Hopper (DDG-70) in the Philippine Sea on Oct. 31, 2023. U.S. Navy Photo
Destroyer Squadron 1 is based in San Diego and is embarked on Carl Vinson.
USS Hopper (DDG-70), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
USS Kidd (DDG-100), homeported at Naval Station Everett, Wash.
USS Sterett (DDG-104), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor.
In the Marshall Islands
U.S. Army Col. Rems Keane, Director of Operations for the 9th Mission Support Command (MSC) Honolulu, Hawaii, talks about the flight deck of the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) with Chief Hospital Corpsman Melinda Canales, right, and Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Timothy Godden, middle, as part of a tour with Pacific Partnership 2024-1 in Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nov. 6, 2023. U.S. Navy Photo
Hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) reached the Marshall Islands on Oct. 30 for Pacific Partnership 24.
“The arrival of Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) to Majuro, RMI, signifies the launch of the Pacific Partnership 24-1 mission, which will enable American and Marshallese participants to work together to enhance disaster response capabilities and foster new and enduring friendships,” Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific said in a news release.
In the Eastern Mediterranean Sea
Ships from the Gerald R. Ford and Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Groups (CSG), U.S. Sixth Fleet command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20), and Italian Navy frigates Carlo Margottini (F 592) and Virginio Fasan (F 591) sail in formation in the Mediterranean Sea, Nov. 3, 2023. U.S. Navy Photo
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) and its escorts are underway in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group’s presence in the Eastern Mediterranean is meant to deter Hezbollah, Iran and other actors from joining the war between Hamas and Israel. Hamas is a State Department-designated terrorist group that started ruling the occupied territory Gaza after Israel withdrew troops and settlers in 2005.
Earlier this month, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin extended the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group’s deployment in the Mediterranean.
Also in the Eastern Mediterranean is U.S. 6th Fleet command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20).
A U.S. Marine MV-22 Osprey aboard the San Antonio-class amphibious transport docking ship USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19), Mediterranean Sea, Oct. 29, 2023. U.S. Marine Corps Photo
San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19) and embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) Bravo Command Element are in the Mediterranean Sea. Mesa Verde is part of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG). USS Bataan (LHD-5) and USS Carter Hall (LSD-50), the other two ships in the Bataan ARG, are currently operating in U.S. 5th Fleet.
Carrier Strike Group 12
Carrier
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), homeported at Norfolk, Va.
Carrier Air Wing 8
The “Ragin’ Bulls” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 37 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
The “Blacklions” of VFA 213 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Golden Warriors” of VFA 87 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Tomcatters” of VFA 31 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Gray Wolves” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 142 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
The “Bear Aces” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 124 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va.
The “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
The “Spartans” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 70 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.
The “Tridents” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 9 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
Cruiser
USS Normandy (CG-60), homeported at Norfolk, Va.
Destroyer Squadron 2
Ensign Christopher Duehr, assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul (DDG-74), uses a sound-powered phone during a replenishment-at-sea with the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE-3) in the Arabian Gulf, Nov. 3. U.S. Navy Photo
Destroyer Squadron 2 is based in Norfolk, Va., and is embarked on Ford.
USS Ramage (DDG-61) homeported at Norfolk.
USS McFaul (DDG-74) homeported at Norfolk.
USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), homeported at Mayport, Fla.
In the Red Sea
The Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) transits the Suez Canal, Nov. 4. U.S. Navy Photo
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (CSG) transited the Suez Canal on Nov. 4 and is in the Red Sea. USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) deployed on Oct. 14, while several of the carrier’s escorts left on Oct. 13. The carrier transited the Strait of Gibraltar on Oct 28.
U.S. Central Command said on social media Sunday that an Ohio-class submarine arrived in its area of responsibility. A picture posted with the announcement appeared to show the sub in the Suez Canal, northeast of Cairo. These SSGNs carry up to 154 tomahawk missiles.
Carrier Strike Group 2
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier (CVN-69) sails in formation in the Mediterranean Sea, Nov. 3, 2023. U.S. Navy Photo
Carrier
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), homeported at Norfolk, Va.
Carrier Air Wing 3
The Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) transits through the Suez Canal, Nov. 4. U.S. Navy Photo
The “Gunslingers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
The “Fighting Swordsmen” of VFA 32 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
The “Rampagers” of VFA 83 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
The “Wildcats” of VFA 131 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
The “Zappers” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
The “Screwtops” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 123 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va.
The “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va.
The “Swamp Foxes” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 74 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.
The “Dusty Dogs” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7 – MH-60S – from Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
Cruiser
The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) transits the Suez Canal, Nov. 4. U.S. Navy Photo
USS Philippine Sea (CG-58), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
Destroyer Squadron 22
Destroyer Squadron 22 is based in Norfolk, Va., and is embarked on Eisenhower.
USS Gravely (DDG-107), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
USS Mason (DDG-87), homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Fla.
ITS Virginio Fasan (F 591), homeported at La Spezia, Italy
Bataan and Carter Hall entered the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aden on Friday, Oct 27, according to ship spotters. The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit is embarked across Bataan, Carter Hall, and Mesa Verde.
Among many missions for which Marines are trained is evacuating civilians in conflict zones. USNI News visited the unit in April during an exercise Non-combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) in North Carolina.
Embarked units include Amphibious Squadron 8, 26th MEU (SOC), Fleet Surgical Team 8, Tactical Air Control Squadron 21, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26, Assault Craft Unit 2, Assault Craft Unit 4, and Beach Master Unit 2. The 26th MEU (SOC), based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., includes Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 6th Marines; Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162 (Reinforced) and Combat Logistics Battalion 22.
In the Persian Gulf
U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) are forward-deployed to the region under Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA). PATFORSWA deploys Coast Guard personnel and ships with U.S. and regional naval forces throughout the Middle East. Initially deployed in 2003 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, PATFORSWA is now a permanent presence based out of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) and Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG-55) conduct a replenishment at sea with French logistics supply ship BRF Jacques Chevallier (A 725) in the Atlantic Ocean, Nov. 4, 2023. U.S. Navy Photo
USS George Washington (CVN-73) is underway in the Virginia Capes.
In the Eastern Pacific
USS Boxer (LHD-4) and USS Harpers Ferry (LSD-49) transit the Pacific Ocean, Nov. 4, 2023. U.S. Navy Photo
Amphibious warship USS Boxer (LHD-4) is operating off the coast of California in the Southern California Operating Areas. USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is also underway off California.
In addition to these major formations, not shown are others serving in submarines, individual surface ships, aircraft squadrons, SEALs, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Forces, Seabees, EOD Mobile Units and more serving throughout the globe.
The ship was built at the Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Newport News, Virginia, from her keel laying in April 1915, her launching in January 1917, and her commissioning in December that year. She was armed with a battery of twelve 14-inch (356 mm) guns in four three-gun turrets, and was protected by heavy armor plate, with her main belt armor being 13.5 inches (343 mm) thick.
The ship remained in North American waters during World War I, conducting training exercises to work up the crew. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the ship served in the Pacific Fleet. In May 1941, with World War II and the Battle of the Atlantic raging, Mississippi and her two sister ships were transferred to the Atlantic Fleet to help protect American shipping through the Neutrality Patrols. Two days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Mississippi departed the Atlantic to return to the Pacific Fleet; throughout her participation in World War II, she supported amphibious operations in the Pacific. She shelled Japanese forces during the Gilbert and Marshall Islands and the Philippines campaigns and the invasions of Peleliu and Okinawa. The Japanese fleet attacked American forces during the Philippines campaign, and in the ensuing Battle of Leyte Gulf, Mississippi took part in the Battle of Surigao Strait, the last battleship engagement in history.
After the war, Mississippi was converted into a gunnery training ship, and was also used to test new weapons systems. These included the RIM-2 Terrier missile and the AUM-N-2 Petrel missile. She was eventually decommissioned in 1956 and sold to ship breakers in November that year.
The Royal Navy has been working to expand the operating limits of the jet, to develop advanced takeoff and landing techniques, allowing the aircraft to launch with more weapons.
The SRVL sees an aircraft land on the carrier after approaching the ship from behind at speed, before using thrust from the aircraft’s nozzle and lift created by air over the wings to touch down and gently come to a stop.
Previously, F-35 jets had only landed on the ship vertically, which sees them hovering by the side of the £3bn carrier before moving sideways and lowering onto the flight deck.
For the first time in decades, the ships and aircraft of two US Navy aircraft carrier strike groups have sailed together in the eastern Mediterranean Sea as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise.
US carriers USS Gerald R Ford and USS Dwight D Eisenhower drilled for three days along with the amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney and two Italian guided missile frigates.
The two carrier strike groups have been operating in the area at the direction of Lloyd Austin, the US Secretary of Defense, to bolster deterrence in the region.
“Operating dual carrier strike groups alongside allies and partners in a dynamic environment demonstrates our capability and capacity to respond with agility decisively to any contingency,” explained Vice Admiral Thomas Ishee, the Commander of the US 6th Fleet.
“Our presence sends a clear signal about our commitment to deter aggression and promote stability throughout the region.”
USS Gerald R Ford and its strike group was dispatched following the 7 October attack on Israel amid fears that the escalating conflict could engulf the region.
He said: “There is no other single weapons system that can deliver the same kind of signal, message, flexibility.”PlayMute
Why aircraft carriers are still the go-to for projecting power.
The Dwight D Eisenhower CSG deployed on 14 October, with the initial intention to relieve the Gerald R Ford CSG that had been operating in the Mediterranean since June as part of the regional US and Nato presence.
The US has maintained a carrier strike group in the region since December 2021.
Shortly after the Hamas attacks in southern Israel, the US Defense Secretary extended USS Gerald R Ford’s deployment and shifted the strike group to the eastern Mediterranean as part of the US effort to keep the conflict from spreading.
For the first time in decades, the ships and aircraft of two US Navy aircraft carrier strike groups have sailed together in the eastern Mediterranean Sea as tensions in the Middle East continue to rise.
US carriers USS Gerald R Ford and USS Dwight D Eisenhower drilled for three days along with the amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney and two Italian guided missile frigates.
The two carrier strike groups have been operating in the area at the direction of Lloyd Austin, the US Secretary of Defense, to bolster deterrence in the region.
“Operating dual carrier strike groups alongside allies and partners in a dynamic environment demonstrates our capability and capacity to respond with agility decisively to any contingency,” explained Vice Admiral Thomas Ishee, the Commander of the US 6th Fleet.
“Our presence sends a clear signal about our commitment to deter aggression and promote stability throughout the region.”
USS Gerald R Ford and its strike group was dispatched following the 7 October attack on Israel amid fears that the escalating conflict could engulf the region.
He said: “There is no other single weapons system that can deliver the same kind of signal, message, flexibility.”PlayMute
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Loaded: 22.98%SharePicture-in-PictureQuality LevelsFullscreenWatch: Why aircraft carriers are still the go-to for projecting power.
The Dwight D Eisenhower CSG deployed on 14 October, with the initial intention to relieve the Gerald R Ford CSG that had been operating in the Mediterranean since June as part of the regional US and Nato presence.
The US has maintained a carrier strike group in the region since December 2021.
Shortly after the Hamas attacks in southern Israel, the US Defense Secretary extended USS Gerald R Ford’s deployment and shifted the strike group to the eastern Mediterranean as part of the US effort to keep the conflict from spreading.
Across 13 countries, about 80 percent of these ships are in service. The rest are either under construction or under development
Xinhua News Agency//Getty Images
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 not only marked the entry of the United States into World War II, but also the ascendancy of the aircraft carrier. The devastating strike—on a distant naval base thousands of miles away from the Japanese homeland—set the tone for four more years of carrier-centric warfare as the U.S. Navy regrouped, built a vast new fleet of aircraft carriers, and brought the fight all the way back to Japan.
How America Flew the U-2 Spy Plane off of Aircraft Carriers
Eighty years later, the carrier is still the dominant platform at sea. Aircraft carriers have remained dominant because they’re floating airfields for the real weapon: carrier aircraft. A carrier can upgrade to the newest military tech simply by freighting the newest aircraft. Jet engines, radar, guided missiles, nuclear weapons, stealth, and cruise missiles are all examples of technology easily absorbed by carriers, making them more relevant and deadly than ever.
Today, a new era of great power competition is seeing more countries field aircraft carriers than ever before. Longtime carrier operators like the United Kingdom and Japan have restarted flat-top production, while countries such as China, South Korea, and Turkey are building their first-ever carriers.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of about 22 carriers, across 20 ship classes, from 13 different countries. Roughly 80 percent of those ships are in operation, and the rest are either in development or currently under construction. The message is clear: if you want to be taken seriously as a naval power, you need an aircraft carrier.
Brazil
Atlántico
Brazil’s sole aircraft carrier,Alexandre Durão/Revista Força Aérea via Flickr
In 1998, the Royal Navy commissioned the landing platform helicopter HMS Ocean. Ocean, a 21,500-ton warship that is 667 feet long, featured a full-length flight deck and flight-control island. Although it looked the part of a carrier, it was actually a floating helicopter platform for the Royal Marines. An amphibious ship with limited self-defense capability, it could also embark up to six Apache attack helicopters for an offensive punch.
In 2018, the Royal Navy decommissioned Ocean, which the Brazilian Navy quickly snatched up. Renamed Atlántico, she was recently redesignated a “multipurpose aircraft carrier.” In the absence of crewed aircraft, the Brazilian Navy intends to experiment with operating fixed-wing, medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) drones from the ship. Eventually, Atlántico could fly MALE drones outfitted for reconnaissance and strike missions. Atlántico is the only aircraft carrier based in South America.
China
Liaoning, Shandong
China’s sole aircraft carrier at the time, the Liaoning, arrives in Hong Kong waters on July 7, 2017, less than a week after a high-profile visit by president Xi Jinping.’< emAFP Contributor//Getty Images
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China operates two aircraft carriers, Liaoning and Shandong.
The Soviet Union originally ordered an unfinished aircraft carrier. After the Soviet Union’s collapse, it transferred the ship to China, whereupon it went through a lengthy modernization. The ship was commissioned Liaoning in 2012. It displaces up to 67,000 tons fully loaded and is 999 feet long. Liaoning can operate up to 26 Shenyang J-15 Flying Shark fighters and another 12 helicopters, for a total air wing of 38 to 40 aircraft. Liaoning is a training ship intended to teach China’s first generation of naval aviators and China’s navy in carrier operations.
Shandong, commissioned in 2019, is nearly identical. But, it was built from the bottom up in a Chinese shipyard. Both Liaoning and Shandong carry the same number of planes. Both utilize bow-mounted ski ramps instead of catapults to launch aircraft, limiting the payload of their fighter jets and preventing them from launching piston-engine aircraft. Unlike Liaoning, Shandong is a fully operational carrier capable of combat operations.
Type 003
China is currently building a third carrier, tentatively named Type 003, at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai. Type 003 will be approximately the same size as the two previous carriers and carry about 40 aircraft. It is also expected to use an electromagnetic system to launch aircraft, allowing it to operate a more varied air wing, including drones and piston-engine aircraft. The Department of Defense estimates the carrier will enter service in 2024. China may eventually build as many as six carriers, enough to match the U.S. Pacific Fleet, though American carriers are much more capable.
China is also building a variant of its Type 075 amphibious ships as a drone aircraft carrier. The Type 076 will displace approximately 40,000 tons and measure 778 feet long. The ship will be designed to launch and recover landing craft from the sea. Unlike the Type 075, which reserves its flight deck for helicopter operations, Type 076 will launch and recover drones, likely to provide air support and an unblinking eye in the sky overseeing an amphibious landing.
France
FS Charles de Gaulle
An aerial view of the Russian Tall Ship Mir as she passes astern of the French aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle ahead of the International Fleet Review on June 26, 2005 in Portsmouth, England.Peter Macdiarmid//Getty Images
Charles de Gaulle is France’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Although construction began during the Cold War, the ship only became fully operational in 2001. De Gaulledisplaces 45,000 fully equipped and is 858 feet long. De Gaulle’s mix of up to 40 Rafale-M multi-role fighters, E-2 Hawkeye airborne command-and-control aircraft, and naval helicopters makes it the most capable carrier outside the U.S. Navy. The carrier participated in combat operations against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in 2001 and 2002 and against the Islamic State in the 2010s
Charles de Gaulle was meant to be one of two carriers, but France never built the second one, leaving the country without a carrier when the ship is in drydock. It is scheduled to be replaced in the 2030s with a new carrier, currently designated Porte-Avions Nouvelle Génération (PANG). At 75,000 tons, the new ship will be 50 percent larger and operate a mixture of manned aircraft and drones.
India
INS Vikramaditya, Vikrant
Aircrafts on the deck of INS Vikramaditya during Navy Week celebration at Gateway of India on December 2, 2016 in Mumbai, India.Hindustan Times//Getty Images
India, a longtime operator of aircraft carriers, currently operates just one: INS Vikramaditya. Originally built for the Soviet Navy, Vikramaditya was later refitted as an angled-deck aircraft carrier, complete with catapults and arresting gear, for the Indian Navy. The carrier is in the same size and weight class as Shandong and de Gaulle, displacing 45,000 tons and capable of operating up to 28 MiG-29K multi-role strike fighters and Kamov helicopters, for a total of up to 40 fixed-wing and rotary aircraft.
A second aircraft carrier, Vikrant, is scheduled to be commissioned in 2022. Vikrant, India’s first locally produced carrier, is approximately the same size as sister ship Vikramaditya. Two carriers will ensure that India could surge up to two ships in a crisis, while maintaining at least one in ready condition while the other is in drydock.
Italy
Giuseppe Garibaldi, Cavour
Italian AV8 Harrier aircraft are pictured on the Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operation codenamed “Unified Protectors” on June 15, 2011 in the Mediterranean sea.MARCELLO PATERNOSTRO//Getty Images
The Italian Navy currently operates two aircraft carriers. The first, Giuseppe Garibaldi,is a 13,930-ton, 590-foot-long carrier that can operate up to 18 AV-8B II+ Harrier jump jets. Garibaldi, commissioned in 1985, is a veteran of the NATO intervention in Afghanistan, the war in Afghanistan, and the 2011 intervention in Libya.
She is scheduled to be replaced in 2022 by the new amphibious assault ship Trieste. Trieste, modeled on the U.S. Navy’s Wasp-class amphibious ships, will have both a well deck for transporting Italian marines by watercraft, and a full-length flight deck to accommodate the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter.
The second carrier, Cavour, is the flagship of the Italian Navy. Commissioned in 2009, Cavour is also equipped with a well deck capable of launching and recovering landing craft, hovercraft, and amphibious vehicles. In July 2021, after a lengthy refit, she became the first Italian warship to launch and recover F-35B fighter jets. Cavour will be able to carry up to 12 F-35Bs and a dozen helicopters at a time. Italy will purchase 30 F-35Bs, evenly split between the Italian Navy and Air Force.
Japan
Izumo, Kaga
Japan Maritime Self Defense Forces carrier Izumo anchored up at its Yokosuka Base in Kanagawa.TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA//Gett
Getty Images
Once the largest and most proficient operator of aircraft carriers, Japan is building its first new carrier in nearly 80 years. Japan, whose post-war pacifist sentiment banned aircraft carriers as tools of offensive warfare, has done an about-face and is now embracing them—but purely as defensive weapons.
In 2018, citing concerns about the growing Chinese Navy and the construction of China’s own carriers, Japan announced it would convert helicopter carriers Izumo and Kaga into ships capable of launching and recovering F-35B Joint-Strike Fighters. The conversion process includes fitting flight decks with aviation lighting; squaring the rear of the flight deck; adding fixed-wing ammunition, fuel, and maintenance facilities; and a heat-resistant flight-deck coating designed to handle an F-35B’s downward-facing thrust nozzle. Each will carry about a dozen, and perhaps as many as 16, F-35B fighters.
In October 2021, a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B fighter jet landed on the partially converted Izumo, marking the first fixed-wing aircraft landing on a Japanese ship since World War II. Japan plans to purchase 42 F-35Bs, flying them from the ships and island bases in order to counter Chinese military flights near its western airspace.
Russia
Admiral Kuznetsov
The Russian Navy’s Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier seen at shipyard No 35 in December 2017.Lev Fedoseyev//Getty Images
The largest conventionally powered carrier in the world, Admiral Kuznetsov is also Russia’s only flat-top. Built at Ukraine’s Nikolayev shipyards during the Cold War, Kuznetsov displaces 58,000 tons and is 1,000 feet long. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the ship saw little use, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has used the ship as a symbol of Russia’s resurgence on the world stage, using it to show off the country’s flag and sending it to Syria on combat deployments.
Kuznetsov is notionally a capable ship, with the ability to embark up to 24 Su-33 Flanker-D and MiG-29K fighter jets and six helicopters. However, the ship is old and has suffered from neglect and sheer bad luck. Kuznetsov has broken down at sea, suffered an electrical fire that killed one crewman, caught fire in drydock, and lost its drydock when the floating dock PD-50abruptly sank. The ship is nearing the end of a multi-year upgrade, though, and is scheduled to return to the fleet in late 2023.
South Korea
CVX
South Korea is the latest naval power seeking to build aircraft carriers. The carrier, tentatively known as CVX, will be a conventionally powered warship and the country’s first fixed-wing aircraft carrier. Seoul has signed development deals with European shipbuilders Babock International and Fincantieri, companies with experience developing British and Italian carriers.
Early concept designs depict a full-length flight deck, aviation elevators, and a ski ramp to launch aircraft. The ship is depicted with two island superstructures, much like HMS Queen Elizabeth, in order to increase available flight deck space. CVX will carry a mixed air wing of F-35 fighters, attack helicopters, and utility helicopters. South Korea has 20 F-35Bs on order.
Spain
Juan Carlos I
A pack of bicyclists ride past the aircraft carrier Juan Carlos I at the Cadiz harbour at the start of the 3rd stage of the 69th edition of “La Vuelta” Tour of Spain, a 197.8-kilometres ride from Cadiz to Arcos de la Frontera, on August 25, 2014.JOSE JORDAN//Getty Images
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Thailand
HTMS Chakri Naruebet
Thai tourists visit the Royal Thai Navy’s HTMS ChakriNaruebet at its berth at the Sattahip navy docks in May 1998.Peter Charlesworth//Getty Images
The only aircraft carrier native to southeast Asia, HTMS Chakri Naruebet was built in Spain and is the flagship of the Thai Navy. Chakri Naruebet is the smallest carrier in the world, displacing just 11,000 tons and measuring 599 feet long. When completed in 1997, it carried six AV-8S Harrier fighter jets and six SH-60 Seahawk helicopters. It also features royal accommodations fit for Thailand’s King.
Thailand’s carrier has been the victim of neglect over the past two decades, rarely leaving port. Its six Harrier fighters have been retired for lack of spare parts.
Turkey
TCG Anadolu, TCG Trakya
Turkish Ministry of Defense
Like Spain, Turkey has one mixed amphibious/light aircraft carrier, TCG Anadolu. Anadolu is physically and dimensionally similar to Spain’s Juan Carlos I, and was built using technology from the same Spanish shipyard. The ship is equipped not only with aviation facilities (including a ski ramp), but the ability to launch and recover amphibious landing craft from a floodable well deck.
Turkey was ejected from the F-35 program when President Recep Erdogan purchased air-defense missiles from Russia, leaving it unable to equip Anadolu with the fifth-generation fighter jet. Instead, the country plans to equip it with Bayraktar TB3 uncrewed aerial combat vehicles (UCAVs). The TB3 is a folding wing version of the TB2 UCAV used in combat in Libya, Armenia, and Ukraine and can be used in strike, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance roles. Turkey plans to equip the ship with an air wing of up to 50 TB3s, giving it technically an air wing only second in numbers to American supercarriers.
The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves Rosyth Dockyard, where she was built, after a period of planned maintenance on May 21, 2019 in Rosyth, Scotland.Ken Jack//Getty Images
In the late 2000s, the United Kingdom set out to revamp its fixed-wing carrier capability, replacing four aging Invincible-class anti-submarine warfare carriers with larger, more capable ships. The result is the Queen Elizabeth-class, consisting of HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales. The two carriers are the largest warships ever to serve in the Royal Navy.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales both displace approximately 72,000 tons fully loaded and measure 920 feet long. The ships use a conventional propulsion system, like South Korea’s CVX, that splits the ships’ island superstructure into two distinct structures. The 12.5-degree ski ramp affixed to the front bow gives a boost to F-35B fighter jets, allowing them to take off with more fuel and munitions, though not as many as if the ships were equipped with an aircraft catapult. The ships will typically embark 20 to 24 F-35Bs with provisions to carry up to 36 in emergencies.
In mid-2021, HMS Queen Elizabeth embarked on her first cruise as the centerpiece of Carrier Strike Group 21. CSG21 sailed as far east as Guam, conducting combat missions against the Islamic State, and sailed in the South China Sea alongside U.S. and other allied warships.
United States of America
Nimitz and Ford classes
The future USS Gerald R. Ford is seen underway on its own power for the first time on April 8, 2017 in Newport News, Virginia.Getty Images
The U.S. Navy operates two classes of so-called “supercarriers,” the Nimitz and Ford classes. The Nimitz-class, consisting of ten ships, weighs a whopping 105,000 tons fully loaded and is 1,092 feet long. The Ford-class, consisting of USS Gerald R. Ford, is roughly the same weight and size, but includes next-generation technology such as an electromagnetic aircraft launch system, advanced arresting gear for recovering planes, a new Dual-Band Radar, and electromagnetic weapons handling elevators. Both classes normally accommodate up to 75 aircraft, including 40 to 44 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighters and F-35C Joint Strike Fighters.
The Navy has committed to building at least five Ford-class carriers and will likely build up to 11, fully replacing the Nimitz-class ships by 2050.
Wasp and America classes
In addition to supercarriers, the Navy also operates a mixed fleet of nine Wasp- and America-class amphibious ships. These ships include a full-length flight deck, elevators, and an island for aviation operations. The Wasp-class also includes a well deck for embarking and disembarking amphibious landing craft. Each weighs 45,000 tons fully loaded and is 844 feet long. The ships, nicknamed “gators,” normally carry 10 F-35Bs, but can carry up to 20 F-35Bs in a purely aviation role.
Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he’s generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News, and others. He lives in San Francisco.
NZ Navy conduct Pacific operation to dispose submerged World War II bombs
Dive and hydrographic vessel HMNZS Manawanui has arrived in Niue, the first stop in a seven-week deployment to the south-west Pacific. Photo: NZDF
The New Zealand Navy is conducting a seven-week operation in the Pacific to conduct underwater surveys and help dispose of submerged World War II bombs.
The HMNZS Manawanui has arrived in Niue, the first stop in the Calypso operation.
There are 70 personnel, including some of Pasifika heritage, who will undertake maritime security patrols, hydrographic surveys, and community engagement activities in Niue, Fiji and Vanuatu.
In Niue, the team will support local authorities to inspect Beveridge Reef, 38km out to sea.
In Fiji, NZ personnel will work with Fiji’s military on two maritime surveys, one of which is in the Koro Sea east of Viti Levu island – an area that was last surveyed in 1895.
Once the ship reaches Vanuatu, NZ explosive ordnance disposal divers will be tasked with the disposal of four, over 226 kg bombs left submerged in Port Vila Harbour after World War II.
Commanding Officer of HMNZS Manawanui Commander Yvonne Gray said the ship’s company was excited about the deployment.
“For all of us, the Pacific is our neighbourhood and it’s always special to get out here and work with our friends on these tasks,” she said.
“Some of our crew hail from Pacific nations and so for them our deployments to the Pacific are a way for them to give something back to their communities.”
Operation Calypso is due to conclude in early December.