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Aircraft carrier vs Nuclear submarine

Aircraft carrier vs nuclear submarine
Aircraft carrier is larger on weight
Aircraft carrier is 5.4× nuclear submarine on weight.

An aircraft carrier and a nuclear submarine can be compared on 3 measures. The figures below are typical adult or full-size values, with the larger of the two in bold.

Side by side

Larger value in bold. Ranges reflect genuine variation, not uncertainty.
Aircraft carrier Nuclear submarine
Weight 101,600–106,300 t 16,760–18,750 t
Length 332.8 m 170 m
Typical cost 8,500,000,000 $ 2,000,000,000 $

What the numbers say

  • Aircraft carrier is 5.4× nuclear submarine on weight.
  • Aircraft carrier is 2× nuclear submarine on length.
  • Aircraft carrier is 4.3× nuclear submarine on typical cost.

Weight compared.

Aircraft carrier 101,600–106,300 t
Nuclear submarine 16,760–18,750 t

Aircraft carrier

A US Navy Nimitz-class supercarrier, the standard against which "the size of an aircraft carrier" is measured.

Nuclear submarine

A US Navy Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, which can stay submerged for months.

This is a comparison of published measurements, nothing more. It describes how two things differ on measures that have been recorded; it does not predict how they would fare against each other in any situation.

Common questions

Which is bigger, aircraft carrier or nuclear submarine?
Aircraft carrier is 5.4× nuclear submarine on weight. Both figures are typical values; the full range for each is in the table above.
How do aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines compare on length?
Aircraft carrier: 332.8 m. Nuclear submarine: 170 m. Aircraft carrier is 2× nuclear submarine on length.
How do aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines compare on typical cost?
Aircraft carrier: 8,500,000,000 $. Nuclear submarine: 2,000,000,000 $. Aircraft carrier is 4.3× nuclear submarine on typical cost.

Related pages

Sources

  1. Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)

How these figures are compiled and checked