Aircraft carriers are the heart of the US Navy. The deck of a carrier is literally a few acres of American territory floating around the world, projecting massive air and seagoing military might.
Carriers are expensive, with new Ford-class ships running about $13 billion, but they last about 50 years.
Business Insider visited the USS Eisenhower during a massive mine clearing effort in the Persian Gulf a few years ago.
The Ike, which is currently undergoing repairs, is the second-oldest US carrier still in service. But as you'll see, her age takes nothing from her powerful presence near foreign soil.
This post is originally by Robert Johnson and Jeremy Bender.
The US Navy currently has 10 commissioned carriers, some of which can carry upwards of 90 aircraft. Thousands of men and women serve on aircraft carriers, with 5,000 pilots, sailors, and Marines serving on the Ike at any one time.
Zooming in, we can see pilot Lt. Tom Shelly giving his ground crew a crisp salute.
Then he's off. Out of runway and with nowhere to go but up, Lt. Shelly hits his afterburners and shoots into the sky.
As Lt. Shelly is still plotting his course, the batch of planes that went out earlier come to land.
Tail hooks down, the pilots are aiming for the second of four cables stretched across the deck to stop them from careening off the other end of the flight deck.
Carrier landings are challenging, even in the bright, midday light and this pilot leans forward waiting to catch the cable.
Touching down on deck, the wheels throw plumes of smoke as the hook dredges the surface looking for the cable before finally catching the third line.
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