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General Characteristics

Crew List

Memorabilia

Cruise Books and Pamphlets

History

Deployments of USS Carl Vinson

Homeports of USS Carl Vinson

Interesting Facts

About the name "Carl Vinson"

Patch Gallery

Accidents aboard the Ship

Image Gallery

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USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70)

USS CARL VINSON is the third NIMITZ - class aircraft carrier and the first ship in the Navy named after Congressman Carl Vinson.

General Characteristics:	Keel Laid: October 11, 1975
	Launched: March 15, 1980
	Commissioned: March 13, 1982
	Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News, Va.
	Propulsion system: two nuclear reactors
	Main Engines: four
	Propellers: four
	Blades on each Propeller: five
	Aircraft elevators: four
	Catapults: four
	Arresting gear cables: four
	Length, overall: 1,092 feet (332,85 meters)
	Flight Deck Width: 252 feet (76,8 meters)
	Area of flight deck: about 4,5 acres
	Beam: 134 feet (40,84 meters)
	Draft: 37,7 feet (11.3 meters)
	Displacement: approx. 97,000 tons full load
	Speed: 30+ knots
	Planes: approx. 85
	Crew: Ship: 3,200
	Crew: Air Wing: 2,480
	Armament: two Mk-57 Mod 3 Sea Sparrow launchers, three 20mm Phalanx CIWS Mk 15, two Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Systems
	Homeport: San Diego, Calif.

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS CARL VINSON. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

Click here to view the list.

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Click here to see which USS CARL VINSON memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

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USS CARL VINSON Cruise Books and Pamphlets:

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Interesting Facts:

Congressman Carl Vinson became the first person in the history of the United States to witness a launching in his honor.
In 1983, the CARL VINSON crossed the equater the first time at 0 longitude and 0 latitude for shell back initations.
In February, 1997, USS CARL VINSON was the platform for the last carrier launches and recoveries of the A-6E Intruder.

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About the Carrier’s Name, about Congressman Carl Vinson:

Carl Vinson was born in Baldwin County, Georgia, on November 18, 1883. The son of Edward S. and Annie Morris Vinson, he attended Georgia Military College in Milledgeville and was graduated from the Mercer University Law School with an LL.B. degree in 1902, beginning practice on June 5 of that year.

Rep. Vinson's appointment as Baldwin County Prosecutor in 1904 began a career of more than 60 years of service in public office. In 1909, he was elected to the Georgia General Assembly, serving there until 1912. He returned to Baldwin County in late 1912 to serve as County Court Judge.

On November 3, 1914, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives to fill an unexpired term. He served in Congress for more than 50 years - the longest service of any House Member in the history of the United States. Titles such as "Father of our modern Navy" and "Aviation's Elder Statesman" barely describe his contributions, for few others have done so much for the defense of the country.

Rep. Vinson was among the nation's leading advocates of naval power. More than any other person, he was responsible for the buildup of the US Navy and its air power before World War II. Admiral Nimitz, the Pacific Fleet Commander, said of him, "I do not know where this country would have been after December 7, 1941, if it had not had the ships and the know-how to build more ships fast, for which one Vinson Bill after another was responsible."

Carl Vinson's philosophy concerning military preparedness throughout his career is just as valid today. "The most expensive thing in the world is a cheap Army and Navy", he said. "History has shown that weakness invites attacks." He supported the policy that the naval strike forces, including ships such as CARL VINSON should be nuclear-powered.

Rep. Vinson had served a total of 50 years and one months in the House of Representatives when he retired in January 1965. He returned to Milledgeville where he resided until his death on June 1, 1981.

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USS CARL VINSON History:

USS CARL VINSON was commissioned on March 13, 1982, at Newport News, Virginia, and completed shakedown, post-delivery availabilities, and early carrier qualification periods through 1982. Her maiden deployment began on March 1, 1983: an eight-month around-the-world cruise that included operations in the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, and Western Pacific and a sequence of calls at Monte Carlo, Casablanca, Abidjan, Perth, Subic Bay, Hong Kong, Sasebo, Pusan, and Pearl Harbor. The deployment doubled as a homeport change: in late October 1983, the carrier sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge to Naval Air Station Alameda, California, closing the ship's first global transit.

After RIMPAC 1984 and local training, CARL VINSON deployed again from October 13, 1984 to May 24, 1985 for a Western Pacific/Indian Ocean cruise notable for 107 straight days on station in the Indian Ocean - typical of Cold War "presence" tasking that blended blue-water deterrence with allied exercises. Liberty stops and logistics pauses included Yokosuka and Hong Kong. A follow-on WESTPAC from August 12, 1986 to February 5, 1987 repeated the Western Pacific pattern with a Singapore visit closing the cruise. The ship returned to Alameda in early February.

In 1989, the ship joined PACEX '89, the largest post-war Pacific exercise, operating in the Bering Sea, Western Pacific, and Sea of Japan alongside another carrier and two IOWA - class battleships. She got underway from Alameda on September 18, 1989, and took part in high-visibility multi-carrier formations through October before returning stateside. The next deployment ran February 1 to July 31, 1990, a WESTPAC that included Subic Bay, Singapore, Mombasa, Pattaya Beach, Hong Kong, and Pearl Harbor. On September 22, 1990, CARL VINSON entered a 28-month complex overhaul at Bremerton, Washington, concluding in 1993 and resetting the hull, combat systems, and propulsion plants for the post-Cold War era.

With Carrier Air Wing 14 embarked, she departed again on February 17, 1994 for the Persian Gulf to enforce Operation Southern Watch over southern Iraq, returning to Alameda on August 17, 1994. Another Gulf deployment followed from May 14 to November 14, 1996, combining Southern Watch with the August-September 1996 Operation Desert Strike response to Iraqi provocations. The schedule included regional exercises and repeated logistics layovers in Jebel Ali, UAE. Naval Station Alameda's closure then prompted a homeport shift. On January 17, 1997, the carrier arrived in Bremerton, Washington. In late 1998, after RIMPAC, CARL VINSON deployed to the Gulf and flew strikes during Operation Desert Fox (December 16-19, 1998) and continuing Southern Watch sorties into early 1999. CARL VINSON entered a 13-month dry-dock availability at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in mid-1999, with post-refit trials extending into 2000.

The 2001 WESTPAC began with a July 23 sortie from Bremerton to embark the air wing at San Diego. On September 11, 2001, while rounding India en route to the Gulf, the carrier was redirected to the North Arabian Sea and became one of the opening platforms for Operation Enduring Freedom. Across that autumn and winter she sustained continuous strike and support sorties into Afghanistan; official command histories note more than one hundred consecutive days of combat operations on station before redeployment in early 2002.

CARL VINSON later shifted to the Atlantic for her mid-life Refueling and Complex Overhaul at Newport News Shipbuilding. She entered the shipyard in November 2005, completed dry-dock work in May 2007, and redelivered to the Navy after sea trials in July 2009. Post-RCOH preparations included a short maintenance period ahead of a planned return to the Pacific Fleet.

The 2010 calendar opened with humanitarian relief: hours after the January 12 Haiti earthquake, CARL VINSON diverted from the Atlantic to Port-au-Prince, arriving January 15 to begin aircraft lift, medical support, and water production as part of Operation Unified Response. She then transited South America with exercise "Gringo-Gaucho/Southern Seas 2010" events and arrived at her new homeport, Naval Air Station North Island (San Diego), on April 12, 2010. Late that year she began a Western Pacific/Indian Ocean deployment (November 30, 2010-June 15, 2011) with sorties in the Arabian Sea and a sequence of port visits including Manila (May 15-18, 2011), Hong Kong (May 22-24), and Pearl Harbor (June 7-9). On May 2, 2011, while on station in the North Arabian Sea, the carrier conducted the burial at sea for Osama bin Laden, within 24 hours of his death.

A second cruise from November 30, 2011 to May 23, 2012 returned the ship to 5th and 7th Fleet waters, mixing maritime security operations with engagement activities; the itinerary included Busan (ROK), Port Klang (Malaysia), and Jebel Ali. Back home, the ship hosted the inaugural Carrier Classic college basketball game on November 11, 2011, when North Carolina defeated Michigan State on a temporary court constructed on the flight deck in San Diego.

From August 22, 2014 to June 4, 2015, CARL VINSON led Carrier Strike Group ONE on a two-ocean deployment. After Valiant Shield 2014 in the Marianas, the strike group entered 5th Fleet on October 15 and flew sustained combat sorties over Iraq and Syria for Operation Inherent Resolve through spring 2015. Port calls and logistics stops spaced the tempo - Singapore (October 2-7, 2014), Duqm (Oman), Manama and Jebel Ali - before returning across the Pacific.

Following a 2015-2016 maintenance and training cycle in San Diego, the carrier deployed January 5 to June 23, 2017 for a Western Pacific patrol. That cruise featured presence operations in the South China Sea, participation in Key Resolve/Foal Eagle with South Korea, and port visits at Apra Harbor (Guam), Busan (March 15), Singapore (early April), and Pearl Harbor on the return leg. A short 2018 deployment (January 5-April 12) to the Indo-Pacific included a Manila call on February 16 and routine flight operations before the ship returned to NAS North Island.

After an extended maintenance period at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, CARL VINSON shifted homeport back to San Diego on September 2, 2020. She sailed again on August 3, 2021, with the first operational F-35C/CMV-22B integrated air wing. In January 2022 the ship conducted dual-carrier operations in the South China Sea with USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72). On January 24, 2022 an F-35C suffered a landing mishap on CARL VINSON's deck; the pilot ejected safely and flight operations resumed after recovery and damage control actions.

CARL VINSON remained active with 7th Fleet in 2023-2024, including a Yokosuka port call on August 28, 2023 and late-December 2023 visits to Singapore and Port Klang, Malaysia. In summer 2024 she served as a RIMPAC participant operating from Pearl Harbor through July, then returned to West Coast routines. In early 2025, the ship continued Indo-Pacific operations with scheduled stops such as Guam (March 24) and later seasonal underway periods before returning to San Diego.

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Click here to get a view of the deployments of USS CARL VINSON

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Homeports of USS CARL VINSON:

Period	Homeport
commissioned at Newport News, Va.
1982 - 1983	Norfolk, Va.
1983 - 1997	Alameda, Calif.
1997 - 2005	Bremerton, Wash.
2005 - 2010	Norfolk, Va.
2010 - 2019	San Diego, Calif.
2019 - 2020	Bremerton, Wash.
2020 - present	San Diego, Calif.

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USS CARL VINSON Patch Gallery:


		Click here to view more CARL VINSON Patches.

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Accidents aboard USS CARL VINSON:

Date	Where	Events
August 16, 1986	Pacific	A freak wave washes over an elevator of the USS CARL VINSON injuring one man and sweeping seven others into the Pacific Ocean. They were quickly rescued by HS-4 personnel and PAUL F. FOSTER (DD 964).
October 31, 1989	620 miles north of Wake Island	A sailor is lost after being washed overboard from the CARL VINSON.
February 18, 1996	W-291 Operating Area of off southern California	During a CompTuEx (Competitive Training Unit )- training mission, Cdr. L. Scott "Scooter" Lamoreaux, former CO of VF-2, at that time serving on VINSON's Battle Group's CruDesGru Staff, conducted a simulated anti-ship attack. CDR Lamoreaux was acting as the RIO in F-14D side number 111 with pilot LT Terrence "Bluto" Clark at the controls. As they conducted their first supersonic run over the target ship, they encountered a sudden and severe flight control problem that caused their aircraft to exceed it's flight limitations and break up catastrophically in flight. The crew was killed instantly. Their wingman, side number 206, assumed on scene commander and executed a search and rescue effort. Both deceased crew were recovered and brought to the flight deck of the USS CARL VINSON. Later investigation revealed a burn through of 111's afterburner liner allowing hot engine gases to impinge and burn through flight control rods causing the mishap.
February 18, 2003	Western Pacific	At approx. 8.15 p.m. an F/A-18C of VFA-147 crashed about 45 miles from the aircraft carrier. The pilot safely ejected from the aircraft prior to the crash. One of CARL VINSON's helicopters, which was airborne at the time of the crash, was immediately dispatched to conduct rescue operations. The pilot was recovered by the helicopter crew, was uninjured and was returned to CARL VINSON.
May 2, 2005	Persian Gulf	Following a mid-air collision, two VMFA-323 F/A-18Cs disappear from the radar screens while flying over Iraq. Both pilots are killed.
April 21, 2017	off the Philippines	An F/A-18E assigned to VFA-137 crashes while on final approach to the CARL VINSON. The pilot ejects and is safely recovered by a helicopter of HSC-4.
Undated		A maintainer gets the cranial sucked right off his head when he gets too close to the intake of an A-6E. The cranial FODs the engine. Click here to watch a clip of the accident. .mpg file, 2.65 MB

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USS CARL VINSON Image Gallery:



		Click here to view more photos.

The photos below were taken by Ian Johnson and show the CARL VINSON anchored in Gage Roads, Fremantle, Australia, on April 17, 2003, during her seventh visit to Fremantle.

The photos below were taken by me on February 2, 2009, and show the CARL VINSON at Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipyard during her Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH). The F/A-18 visible on some photos was taken aboard just a few weeks before the photos were taken. It serves as a training tool for CARL VINSON's air department crew.

Click here to view more photos.

The photos below were taken by me and show the CARL VINSON leading the parade of ships into San Francisco Bay as part of Fleet Week San Francisco. The photos were taken on October 8, 2011. Note the crew firing saluting batteries on the second photo.

The photos below were taken by me and show the CARL VINSON undergoing her 7-month Planned Incremental Availability at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif. The photos were taken in early October 2012.

The photo below was taken by Henry Schnutz on August 27, 2013, and shows the CARL VINSON at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the CARL VINSON undergoing a 6-month Planned Incremental Availability at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif. The photos were taken on October 2, 2015.

The photo below was taken by Sebastian Thoma and shows the CARL VINSON at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., on January 9, 2016.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the CARL VINSON at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., on April 18, 2016.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the CARL VINSON at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., on October 6, 2016.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the CARL VINSON at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., on October 11, 2017.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the CARL VINSON at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., on May 29, 2022.

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