How can you tell when you have too many aircraft carriers? Possibly, when you start using this expensive hardware for sporting venues.
On Nov. 11, 2011, the Veteran’s Day Carrier Classic basketball game between North Carolina and Michigan State will be played on an aircraft carrier in San Diego harbor. Either the USS Ronald Reagan or the USS Carl Vinson is expected to host the first ever collegiate basketball game on a warship. The USS Carl Vinson was recently in the news as the ship from which Osama bin Laden was buried at sea.
Carrier Classic could be played on ship that buried bin Laden at sea
The US Navy has twice as many aircraft carriers than the rest of the world combined. Based on the acreage of the flight decks, the ratio jumps to five times. Nimitz class carriers like USS Ronald Reagan and the USS Carl Vinson each cost about $4.5 billion dollars to build. As basketball courts go, that is very expensive.
Thanks to Irwin Bryan for the passing the article along.
This isn’t exactly new. As long ago as World War II it was recognized that the large indoor spaces of a hangar deck made an aircraft carrier uniquely suited to sports R & R for the crew. There is a fairly well known photo of a young Naval Aviator, later to become President George Bush the Elder, playing basketball on a WW II carrier; I believe this was in 1944. The new feature is that the upcoming game is a “serious” game that I suppose is approved by NCAA.
I wonder: where will they put the spectators?
I guess that just shows how little I know about such things.
The sketch looks like they will be erecting stands or bleachers on three sides of the court. From swords into plowshares to aircraft carriers into sporting arenas.
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