This is a short but interesting video about the speeds of the various classes of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard warships. The question it posits is: Which is the fastest? I'm sure that there is room for debate, but it is an interesting question.

Of course, the question of which class of warship is the fastest could evoke several different answers, but it is handled here in specifically relative terms.

Photo: YouTube/Not What You Think

According to this film, speed and the question of which ships are the fastest is determined by many factors. It is clear that smaller ships and boats like corvettes and the like are the rabbits, able to achieve speeds of up to and over 60 knots...when the weather is good and the water is flat. Our Freedom-class littoral ships can make waves at up to over 40 knots, even in 8ft. seas.

The argument presented here in this video is that size really matters here. The speeds that the smaller corvettes can achieve make the super carriers appear to be the tortoises in this imaginary race. But given the vagaries of weather and the potential roughness of the seas at any given point in time, the video argues that it is the behemoths, the largest carriers, that are, arguably, the fastest.

Photo: YouTube/Not What You Think

It uses the argument that, because of the size of our supercarriers, and because of the fact that they are nuclear-powered, these biggest of ships can outrun the others in most sea conditions. Using the example of the USS Kittyhawk, it states that the now retired carrier could achieve over 30 knots even in heavy seas, even though it was not nuclear-powered. The newest nuclear-powered carriers are said to have the ability to do that and more, even up to over 40 knots.

Photo: YouTube/Not What You Think

I will leave the answer to the question of which ships are the fastest up to you, but I think this short video is visually interesting and entertaining.

Fair Winds to all of our U.S. Navy ships!
https://youtube.com/shorts/SjHG_nV6n2A?si=mhj4q2oA0dNehkgt