U.S. Navy Considers Modifying New Aircraft Carrier Design方案

Reference News Network reported on August 18 According to a report by the U.S. Washington Post website on August 15, seven current and former U.S. officials revealed that the U.S. Navy is considering significant modifications to the design of the new aircraft carrier to better align with the naval aesthetics preferred by President Trump.

Officials stated that the Navy is evaluating the feasibility of moving the multi-level, towering structure (island) that serves as the command center of the aircraft carrier to the middle of the hull, in order to make its appearance more similar to that of older aircraft carriers. Moving this command center, referred to as the "island," would be a major design change pushed by the President.

On the 13th, the President issued a national security memorandum directing the Navy to develop a plan to restore the use of traditional steam-powered catapults on future aircraft carriers. This device helps aircraft take off from the flight deck of the carrier.

Officials indicated that Trump prefers the new aircraft carriers to resemble those that served during World War II.

A former senior U.S. official stated that the redesign to move the island could cost billions of dollars and significantly delay the entire shipbuilding program. Bryan Clark, a former Navy officer at the Hudson Institute, said that relocating the island would be a major design change. He noted that this alteration to the layout of the aircraft carrier would affect the buoyancy and weight balance of the entire ship, leading to substantial costs.

Since taking office, Trump has pledged to "revitalize" the lagging shipbuilding industry, and he has issued several executive orders to address this issue.

Trump has repeatedly shown interest in designing naval vessels. Last year, he announced plans to build a new class of Navy battleships to lead his vision of a "golden fleet." This sparked criticism from many naval analysts and lawmakers, who believe that these ships would waste the U.S.'s scarce shipbuilding resources on designs that the Navy does not need. (Translated by Wang Qun)