How many ships in a carrier group

During the Cold War, the main role of the CVBG in case of conflict with the Soviet Union would have been to protect Atlantic supply routes between the United States and Europe, while the role of the Soviet Navy would have been to interrupt these sea lanes, a fundamentally easier task.

Because the Soviet Union had no large carriers of its own, a situation of dueling aircraft carriers would have been unlikely. And without protection, an aircraft carrier is extremely vulnerable. That's why aircraft carriers never leave home alone. They are always escorted by an extensive flotilla of other ships. The aircraft carrier plus the flotilla is known as the carrier battle group.

A modern carrier battle group is nearly invincible. In this article, you will learn about these powerful collections of military force and see why they have become so important to U.

Aircraft carriers are also huge and impossible to hide. They are vulnerable from several different angles: The enemy can attack from the sea with boats equipped with long-range cannons and cruise missiles.

The enemy can attack from underwater with submarines , mines and torpedoes. The enemy can attack from the air with airplanes, bombs and missiles. The carrier battle group is responsible, therefore, for protecting the aircraft carrier at the center of the group.

Destroyers now also come equipped with the ability to launch cruise missiles. There may be other ships that travel with the group. Aerial Reconnaissance:. Seventh Fleet has reconnaissance aircraft, the newest being a militarized version of the Boeing called the P8, which arrived in Dec These aircraft provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance of the entire region.

They also carry sonobuoys and torpedoes for antisubmarine warfare. Amphibious and Mine Countermeasure ships:. Nearly the size of an aircraft carrier, America is capable of carrying dozens of helicopters, MV22 Ospreys and FB Joint Strike Fighter aircraft along with more than 1, Marines and their equipment. Amphibious ships are specifically designed to operate relatively close to shore using landing craft to support of amphibious operations ashore.

This design also makes them well suited to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts. In addition to the amphibious ships, Seventh Fleet also controls four mine countermeasure ships designed to locate and neutralize mines. Both these and the amphibious ships are based in Sasebo, Japan. Navy is, ton for ton, the largest and most capable navy sailing today. The video shows USS Roosevelt steaming in formation with a particularly strong group of escorts consisting of one guided missile cruiser and five guided missile destroyers.

According to the U. Carrier Strike Group CSG typically consists of an aircraft carrier, one guided missile cruiser, and two or three guided missile destroyers. The cruiser is the main escort, coordinating the defense of the aircraft carrier, particularly against aerial threats.

Lurking somewhere nearby is a nuclear-powered attack submarine protecting the rest of the strike group from subsurface threats.