US Navy Sunk Its Own Aircraft Carrier in 2005 to Test Survivability

In 2005, the US Navy deliberately sank the retired supercarrier USS America (CV-66) in a controlled live-fire test off the East Coast. Over nearly four weeks, the 81,000-ton vessel absorbed bombs, missiles, underwater blasts, and internal charges while engineers collected data on flooding, hull deformation, and structural failure. The test revealed that the carrier was extraordinarily difficult to sink due to its compartmentalization, reserve buoyancy, and built-in damage control features. The Navy concluded that a realistic adversary goal is not sinking a carrier but disabling its flight operations. Two decades later, the data remains relevant as China develops anti-ship ballistic missiles targeting US carriers.