Carried Away by Carriers

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Check out this aircraft CARRIER. It has a full-length FLIGHT deck that measures 4.5 acres! This flight deck acts as a runway that allows military aircraft to be deployed in areas all across the world where there are no static (fixed) MILITARY bases on land. This is made possible because an aircraft carrier serves as a military airbase right on the sea!

Spell: FLIGHT MILITARY CARRIER

An ___ ___ is a warship that serves as a military airbase. AIRCRAFT CARRIER
Military aircraft can be deployed all across the ____ from a carrier. WORLD
The carrier’s flight ____ allows the aircraft to be deployed. DECK
What size is the flight deck? 4.5 ACRES
Give me an antonym for static. MOVING, CHANGING
What does the flight deck allow the carrier to do? DEPLOY AIRCRAFT IN AREAS
WHERE THERE ARE NO STATIC BASES
Do you know the name of the air force base in Maryland? JOINT ANDREWS
VAKT Trace your finger along the planes on the flight deck

This amazing craft is a symbol of strength among the world’s most powerful militaries, and it’s no wonder these nuclear-powered supercarriers are capable of carrying between 5 to 6 thousand sailors and “air wing” (command staff) PERSONNEL as well as approximately 90 aircraft. A “city at sea,” as they are often called, is an accurate description. With this many people on board, all working, eating, sleeping, or using the “ready rooms” to relax, watch a movie or discuss business, it is like a small city. Yet these carriers are notably different than any city on dry land.

Spell PERSONNEL NOTABLY

An aircraft carrier is a symbol of _____. STRENGTH
What type of power do these supercarriers run on? NUCLEAR
How many aircraft can one carrier hold? 90
How many sailors and air wing personnel are on a carrier? 5-6 thousand
How is a carrier often described? CITY AT SEA
What type of personnel are air wings? COMMAND STAFF
What is a ready room? WHERE PEOPLE ON THE SHIP CAN RELAX, WATCH A MOVIE OR DISCUSS BUSINESS.
Tell me two things that you might find people on board doing. WORKING,
EATING, SLEEPING, RELAXING, WATCHING A MOVIE
If you were going to spend 48 hours on an aircraft carrier, what might we find you doing? Why?

So you might be wondering what life in a floating city is like. Well, conditions are shall we say… a little cramped. Sixty people can be found sleeping in each BERTHING compartment (sleeping quarter) in single-size bunks called racks. These racks are stacked three beds high. If you need to pass someone else in the corridor or hallway, you often have to turn sideways to squeeze past, and the stairwells are built at a nearly vertical angle to save space. Each person does have their own locker and a stowage bin for personal items, but the bathrooms and common areas are shared. Not much privacy here.