How big are aircraft carriers? & What's all on it besides aircraft? How many people can be on it?

The size and dimensions of a Carrier are EASILY looked up and is pure laziness to even ask.

The typical number of people on board are roughly 5,500 to 6,000.

Only around 2,500 to 3,000 of that are the actual Crew, known aboard as being a part of the "Ship's company" as opposed to the remaining people who are either part of the embarked "Air wing". Or members of various detachments or other embarked people (such as the Admiral and his staff).

Most people outside the service do not realize that the Air wing personnel and the Ship's crew are two entirely different commands. The Air wing personnel are all the Officers and Sailors who belong to all the individual squadrons that make up the Air Wing. They are report to their Squadron Commanding Officers or CO's. And they in turn all report to the CAG, who is in command of the Whole Air Wing and all the Squadrons.

He is NOT in command of the Carrier however.

The Carrier's CO, the Captain of the Ship... is in command of the Carrier. He is the CO for all the Ship's crewmembers.

He is not in command of the Air wing.

The Admiral for the entire Carrier Strike group is in Command of the Carrier, AND the Air Wing, and all the other ships that are the escorts and supply ships making up the entire strike group. The Carrier CO and the Air Wing's CAG both report to him.

The Carrier is litterally a Floating City. Just about everything you can think of is aboard. An Entire hospital including dental clinic and Surgery Operating room... A Jail (Brig), TV station and recording studio, Meteorological Office (Weather station), Multiple stores, Library, Gym, you name it...

And Bill is correct. Being on a Carrier is hell when it comes to Liberty.

Often times in a foreign port a Carrier has to anchor out. Hired boats are used to ferry crew to and from the shore and Carrier, called Liberty Boats. On a smaller ship Liberty is simply called away for everyone not on watch and you just go and grab the first boat you can get aboard. Ona Carrier with thousands all trying to get off at once, that is impossible and Liberty is called away at different times according to rank.

Officers first

An hour or two later after most officers who are getting off right away has already done so... then Chief petty officers are called away for Liberty. a few hours later, the Petty Officers... a few hours later the junior enlisted.

Mind you.. once you are allowed to go on liberty, it will still take you hours from then to actually get off the boat in the long line of hundreds all trying to get off.

And when liberty expires and you have to be back aboard?... Reverse order with Junior Enlisted having to be aboard first, and Officers last.

If you are an E-3 Seaman.... by the time you get off the ship... Liberty has been going on for 4-5 hours already and you only have a handful of hours before you have to be back aboard first.

On a Non Carrier ship, like a Ticonderoga Cruiser. You simply walk off the ship at the pier when liberty is called for "All Hands" maybe a 5-7 minute wait at most as dozens, not hundreds all try to get off at once.

in the words off my spouse, a CRUDES guy: 11000 foot long hazards to safe seamanship.

Too big. I was on board two and I knew every crew member on them. That doesn't happen on a carrier. My brother loves carriers he says best duty in the Navy. Try getting on a liberty launch waiting for officers, chiefs, staff hell it takes two hours waiting for liberty. Your job has a lot to say about which platform you will sail on. ...........

Unofficially, Nimitz Class carriers are known as “supercarriers.” They can support 60-plus aircraft and up to 5,000 company and crew members. The flight deck alone is 4.5-acres.

see

http://www.allday.com/just-how-big-is-an-aircraft-...

They are bigger than cruse ships, which are like compact cities.

Depends on the specific carrier.

The Nimitz-class carriers (current ones deployed by the US Navy) are the largest. They're nuclear-powered and have a displacement of 97,000 tons. The vessel is 332 meters in length. Its flight deck is over 18,000 square meters in area and can carry over 60 aircraft. Their full complement of crew, including air wings and various other staff, is around 5,500 people. Don't know what its maximum capacity is. If you want to know exactly what's on a carrier, I suggest you google it.