US Navy Ships Surface Warfare Officer First Tours
CVN Carriers Nimitz Class: Class Size 10 ships Built 1975-2009 Cost - $8.5 Billion Crew Size 200 officers, 3,000 enlisted Air Wing - 500 officers, 2,300 enlisted, 75 aircraft Length 1060 feet Displacement 97,000 tons Speed 30+ knots Mission: Forward Deployed Presence Power Projection Air Superiority Shape Operational Environment Tidbit: Nuclear powered 20 year refueling cycle Sailor Speak: Bird Farm
CVN Carriers Gerald R. Ford Class: Class Size Planned 10 ships Gerald Ford commissioned 2017; John F. Kennedy estimated 2024 Cost - $12.8 Billion Crew Size 180 officers, 2,400 enlisted Air Wing 520 officers, 2,500 enlisted, 90 aircraft Length 1106 feet Displacement 100,000 tons Speed 30+ knots Mission: (same as Nimitz Class) Advances: EMALS aircraft launch system Advanced arresting system Advanced radar & weaponry
CG - Cruisers Ticonderoga Class: Class Size 11 ships (27 built; 5 decommissioned; 11 reduced operating status) Built 1980-1994 Cost - $1 Billion Crew Size: 33 officers, 360 enlisted Length 567 feet Displacement 9,800 tons Speed 32.5 knots Mission: (Multi Mission Platform) BMD (Ballistic Missile Defense) Anti-Air Warfare (Carrier Shotgun) Anti-Surface Warfare (Cruise Missiles) Anti-Submarine Warfare Naval Surface Gun Fire Support Tidbit: Carries up to 122 guided missiles
DDG - Destroyers Arleigh Burke Class: Class Size 64 (77 planned; 68 built; 4 inactive) Built 1988 present Cost - $1.8 Billion Crew Size: 30 officers, 300+ enlisted Length 505-510 feet Displacement: Flt I & II (28 ships) - 8,200 to 8,400 tons Flt IIA (34 ships) 9200 tons Flt III 9,800 tons Mission: (Multi Mission Platform) BMD (Ballistic Missile Defense) Anti-Air Warfare Anti-Surface Warfare (Cruise Missiles) Anti-Submarine Warfare Tidbit: Carries up to 96 guided missiles Sailor Speak: Greyhounds of the Sea
DD - Destroyers Zumwalt Class: Class Size Planned 3 ships Zumwalt commissioned 2016; Michael Monsoor estimated 2018; LBJ under construction Built 2001 present Cost - $4.2 Billion Crew Size: 14 officers, 140 enlisted Length 600 feet Displacement: 14,500 tons Speed; 30+ knots Mission: (Multi Mission Platform) Advances: Tidbit: Anti-Air Warfare Anti-Surface Warfare (Cruise Missiles) Anti-Submarine Warfare Stealth (reduced radar cross section Tumblehome hull Advanced radar Advanced gun system Carries up to 80 guided missiles
LHD Amphibious Assault Ships Wasp Class: Class Size 8 ships Built 1989 2004 Cost - $1.5 Billion Crew Size 65 officers, 994 enlisted Embarked Marines 1,900 Mission: Tidbit: Length 844 feet Displacement 40,000+ tons Speed 22 knots Embark, transport, deploy and support Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Insert Expeditionary Forces ashore Functions as small Aircraft Carrier Embarking squadron of AV-8B Harriers or F-35B Strike Fighters Sailor Speak: Gator Freighter
LPD Amphibious Transport Dock San Antonio Class Class Size 11 ships Built 2000 2017 Cost - $2.0 Billion Crew Size: 29 officers, 351 enlisted Embarked Marines - 800 Length 684 feet Displacement 24,900 tons Speed 22+ knots Mission: Operational Maneuver from the Sea Support embarking, transporting, and landing requirements of Marine landing force Tidbit: Amphibious assault (take the beach head) verses Expeditionary warfare (rapidly deploy ashore). Sailor Speak: Gator Navy
LSD Dock Landing Ships Whidbey Island & Harpers Ferry Class Size Whidbey Island 8 Harpers Ferry 4 Built 1981 1995 Cost - $250 - $325 Million Crew Size 25 officers, 390 enlisted Embarked Marines 400-500 Mission: Length 609 feet Displacement 16,000 tons Speed 22 knots (slow) Well Dock to transport and launch landing craft and amphibious vehicles
LCS Littoral Combat Ships Freedom Class New concept: Size 5 (14 planned; 7 under construction) Standard hull configuration Built 2005 present Lockheed Martin & Martin Marinette Cost - $360 Million Reduced Manning Crew Size 50 core crew, up to 65 Blue/Gold Crewing Shore side maintenance Length 380 feet Displacement 3,900 tons Speed 47 knots Mission: Littoral combat Anti-access, Asymmetric threats Mission Packages MCM (Mine Countermeasures) ASW (Anti Submarine Warfare Surface Warfare
LCS Littoral Combat Ships Independence Class New concept: Size 5 (15 planned; 7 under construction) Trimaran hull configuration w/o bridge wings) Aluminum construction Built 2005 present General Dynamics & Austal Cost - $360 Million Reduced Manning Crew Size 50 core crew, up to 65 Blue/Gold Crewing Shore side maintenance Length 418 feet Displacement 3,100 tons Speed 44 knots Mission: Littoral combat Anti-access, Asymmetric threats Mission Packages MCM (Mine Countermeasures) ASW (Anti Submarine Warfare Surface Warfare
MCM Mine Countermeasures Avenger Class Size 11 ships Wood hull with fiberglass coating Built 1987 1994 Cost - $274 Million Crew Size 8 officers, 76 enlisted Mission: Length 224 feet Displacement 1,300 tons Speed 14 knots Mine hunters and sweepers Tidbit: Most are forward deployed to Japan and Bahrain. (Heavy lifted to trans-ocean location).
Navy Homeports Pacific Northwest 2 x CVN 4 x DDG Hampton Roads 6 x CVN 26 x CRUDES 11 x AMPHIB Naples/Gaeta 1 x LCC San Diego 2 x CVN 21 x CRUDES 15 x AMPHIB 6 x LCS 3 x MCM Rota 4 x DDG Mayport 5 x CRUDES 3 x AMPHIB 2 x LCS 3 x PC Bahrain 4 x MCM 10 x PC Singapore 1 x LCS Japan 1 x CVN 11 x CRUDES 4 x AMPHIB 4 x MCM 1 x LCC Pearl Harbor 9 x DDG
Surface Warfare Officer The Path to Qualification: 1160 Designator (Officer in Training for Surface Warfare) Attend Basic Division Officer Course 9 Week Classroom & Simulator Regimen Engineering, Navigation, Shiphandling, Seamanship & Leadership Attend Junior Officer of the Deck (JOOD Course) Pilot 3 Week Classroom & Shiphandling Simulator Classroom Training in Six Principles of Bridge Watchstanding 50 Hours of Hands-On Shipboard Simulator Scenarios Course Expected to Evolve to 6 Weeks Report Aboard Assigned Ship for First Division Officer Tour
Surface Warfare Officer The Path to Qualification: BDOC Training Reinforced during First Division Officer Tour Actualize Administrative & Leadership Skills Practical Training in Engineering and Damage Control Qualify as Combat Information Center Watch Officer Qualify as Officer of the Deck (OOD Inport & Underway) Preliminary Training as Warfare Coordinator (Tactical Action Officer) Complete First Division Officer Tour (approx. 2 Years) Attend Advanced Division Officer Course Expands Upon Fundamentals Learned and Development of Technical & Tactical Skills Requalification as OOD on a New Platform (Ship) Facilitate Qualification as Engineering Officer of the Watch (EOOW) Provide Advanced Tactical Training for Qualification as a Warfare Coordinator (TAO) Report Aboard New Ship for Second Division Officer Tour
Career Path Notional Timeline Division Officer (2 tours) Shore Duty (1-2 tours) Department Head (2 tours) Shore Duty (2-3 tours) Executive Officer / Commanding Officer (2 tours) Shore Duty (1-2 tours) 0 5 8 11 ~16 ~19 ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT A typical SWO spends about half of a career on sea duty Multiple sea tours of increasing responsibility/rank Shore schools & experience influence future sea & shore billets Performance drives selection and opportunity in assignments John Paul Jones once said: Heed my call, Come to the sea. Come sail with me!
How to stay informed Navy Times Weekly newspaper Reports Navy news (independently published) Proceedings Monthly magazine Published by Naval Institute Scholarly (naval tactics, warfighting, ship design) Ship s Facebook page Navy website www.navy.mil