Losing steam: US Navy carriers go electric

A very cool article about the newest class of nuclear powered aircraft carriers and the shift from steam catapults to electric ones. This is the first major upgrade to the nuclear powered carriers since the 60's.

Half a century after the introduction of steam-driven catapults, the US Navy (USN) aircraft carrier community is entering an era that trades steam and hydraulics for advanced electronic circuitry.

Construction of the first in a new line of carriers, Gerald R Ford (CVN 78), is due to begin in 2008 and the USD10.5 billion ship will use electricity instead of steam for launching combat aircraft, cooking meals and heating sailors' living quarters. Its nuclear reactors will produce more electricity than any other warship, powering a maintenance revolution as well as one of the navy's 'floating cities'.