Two Giant US Aircraft Carriers In Show Of Force Off The Coast Of North Korea After President Warned Kim Jong-Un A Month Ago That Warships Were Heading For The Region

David Burke at the British newspaper the Daily Mail offers a piece on the U.S. naval show of force off the coast of North Korea.

Two US warships are carrying out a dramatic show of force close to North Korea's borders in the wake of missile launches by despot Kim Jong-un.

The huge aircraft carriers, seen together for the first time, have joined with Japan's maritime self defense force for drills in the Sea of Japan.

It comes days after the US Pacific Command reiterated its 'ironclad commitment' to protecting allies in South Korea in Japan following the launch of a short-range ballistic missile by Kim's regime.

You can read the rest of the piece and view U.S. Navy photos via the below link:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4561764/Two-aircraft-carriers-force-near-North-Korea.html 

Note: You can click on the above photos to enlarge.

The Power Of America's Aircraft Carriers

I've heard critics dimiss the modern aircraft carrier all of my life, and yet all of my life I've seen American presidents ask the same question during times of crisis - "Where are the carriers?"

George F. Will is the latest person to claim the era of the carrier is over (although he did not serve in the Navy and has no special knowledge of naval warfare that I'm aware of) in his column in the Washington Post - https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/our-navy-our-destiny/2015/09/30/9505d966-66cd-11e5-9ef3-fde182507eac_story.html  

I served as a teenage sailor on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk in 1970-1971 during the Vietnam War and as a writer I've covered a good number of stories involving aircraft carriers in later wars and conflicts. I'm a strong supporter of supercarriers.

A couple hundred online readers took Will to task over his column and I thought Edward J. Marolda offered a very good respond to Will's column in a letter to the Post.  

In his Oct. 1 op-ed column, “Our Navy, our destiny,” George F. Will gave space to the argument that the aircraft carrier is dead. Reports of this death, however, to paraphrase Mark Twain, are greatly exaggerated.

... Periodic calls for a larger, less expensive fleet of small ships, such as the “high-low mix” debate of the 1970s, have always come up short when considered against the versatility, survivability and centralized combat power of the aircraft carrier. Indeed, if the leaders in Beijing now consider these ships vulnerable, why are they refurbishing an old Russian ship and reportedly building their own aircraft carrier?

You can read the rest of the letter via the below link:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-enduring-power-of-the-aircraft-carrier/2015/10/04/196090bc-6862-11e5-bdb6-6861f4521205_story.html

Note: In the above U.S. Navy photo by Chief Photographer's Mate Todd P. Cichonowicz from 2006, the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), foreground, USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), center, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and their associated carrier strike groups steam in formation in the pacific.

You can click on the above photo to enlarge.

American Naval Power Projection: U.S. Navy Photo Of Three Aircraft Carriers in Port

The above U.S. Navy photo shows three Nimitz-class aircraft carriers in port.

The USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), and USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) are pier side at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California.

The photo was taken by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel M. Young.

Note: I was aboard the USS Kitty Hawk when that aircraft carrier was docked at North Island in 1971.

You can click on the photo to enlarge.  

America's Greatest Weapon: Mesmerizing Pictures Capture America's Aircraft Carriers Sailing The World Through The Years In All Their Humongous Glory

 

As an old carrier sailor who served on the USS Kitty Hawk during the Vietnam War, I was pleased to discover a piece on the history of American aircraft carriers that the British newspaper the Daily Mail offered on their web site.

The piece offers some great old photos and videos of America's aircraft carriers, including the above photo of the USS Kitty Hawk making her final voyage from Japan in 2008.

On September 11, 2001, the USS Enterprise was cruising the Indian Ocean when news broke that the World Trade Center and Pentagon had been hit by hijacked airplanes. 

The aircraft carrier was immediately turned around towards the Middle East, and for weeks carried out air raids on the terrorist cells believed to have carried out the attack.

When it comes to military might, America's greatest weapon is its large fleet of aircraft carriers that patrol the world and can respond to incidents in a matter of hours from international waters. 

No other country in the world maintains a fleet as large as the U.S., giving America no uncertain advantage. There are currently 10 supercarriers in commission, two under construction and another in planning. The few countries that can afford to invest in aircraft carriers usually maintain just one - at the most two. 

See how America's aircraft carriers have changed over the years, from one of the first launched in 1920 to the modern super carrier. 

You can read the rest of the piece and check out the photos and the videos via the below link:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2996580/Stunning-pictures-capture-America-s-aircraft-carriers-humongous-glory-sail-world.html

Note: You can see photos of the USS Kitty Hawk via the link below:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2010/05/look-back-at-aircraft-carrier-uss-kitty.html