Is The USS America (LHA-6) Nuclear Powered?

The United States Navy leads the world in nuclear-powered military vessels, as every one of its aircraft carriers and submarines utilizes that method of power generation. Of course, those are only two types of Navy vessels operated throughout the world's oceans, as the Navy utilizes of all manner of ships, including destroyers, frigates, transports, and more. One class that's often misunderstood is the amphibious assault ship, which many confuse with being an aircraft carrier.

While these vessels support their own wings of fighters and helicopters, they are quite different. The leading ship in the America-class, the USS America (LHA-6), is unlike the newly developed Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers, as it's not nuclear powered. Nuclear power generation makes sense for something as massive as the USS Gerald R. Ford or any of the Navy's highly advanced nuclear submarines, but the cost of development, maintenance, and complex overhaul makes it less desirable in other classes of surface vessels.

To that end, the USS America is powered, not by nuclear energy, but by two GE LM2500+ gas turbines. General Electric Aerospace developed these marine gas turbines for the USS America and the other ships in its class, which are more than capable of supplying all of the energy needed to keep the ship in operation. The USS America uses a hybrid mechanical-electric propulsion system, which includes an additional two 5,000-horsepower auxiliary propulsion motors. These combine to provide everything the USS America needs to sail for over 13,000 miles without the need to refuel.

The USS America is one of the most powerful ships of its type, and it earned that distinction through its impressive capabilities and the sailors who operate its systems. With its dual GE LM2500+ gas turbine engines and its two 5,000-horsepower auxiliary propulsion motors, the USS America can travel at a constant speed of 22 knots (25 mph). Each of its gas turbines is rated at 35,290 shaft horsepower, making its speed and range possible. That's impressive given the vessel's size, as it displaces 45,000 tons of seawater.

The ship measures almost 844 feet in length, and it can accommodate 1,204 crewmembers and an additional 1,871 troops for amphibious assault landings. It also boasts its own wing of strike fighters, allowing for use as an aircraft carrier. The USS America accommodates 12 MV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, six F-35B Lightning II joint strike fighters, which are the variants capable of short takeoff and vertical landing. Additionally, the ship supports four AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters, four CH-35K King Stallion helicopters, and three UH-1Y Venom utility choppers.

The vessel is also equipped with a variety of close-in weapon defense systems, missiles, and naval guns, which all combine to make the USS America a deadly and well-defended ship. The USS America is a perfect example of how naval technology, in terms of propulsion and electricity generation, has evolved alongside nuclear power tech. While it could conceivably use nuclear energy; it's not necessary, it would take up a great deal of internal space, and the cost would skyrocket.