It is impressive from afar, towering twenty stories above the waterline, and stretching 1,092 feet from end to end and it’s just as impressive onboard.
Even when the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan is in port, it's still bustling with activity, below deck and above.
To make a massive ship like this work requires more than 4,500 sailors and marines.
"Being on an aircraft carrier is great, actually it's the only platform I've been on. Where else can you go, we can launch, recover aircraft. And take a large piece of U.S. Territory and park it somewhere else,” said OS1 Christopher Eaton.
And Operation Specialist First Class Eaton isn't alone in his enthusiasm for the U.S.S. Reagan, which has a lot to offer those who work onboard.
"Smaller ships don't have the same luxuries that we do. We have three mess decks, and we have vending machines than I can ever think about, lot of soda, lot of water, lot of Gatorade,” said OS1 Abraham Nantin.
Along with all those drinks, 15,000 meals are served daily.
The U.S.S. Ronald Reagan was built at a cost of four and a half billion dollars, and was commissioned nearly seven years go in July of 2003.
It cost $1 million a day to run it.
As you might expect with that kind of operating budget there are lots of different jobs.
"My job on the Ronald Reagan is to launch and recover aircraft. So the technical term is a catapult and arresting gear officer,” said Lt. Bryan Bennett.
Or more commonly known as "A SHOOTER".
And while a lot of work does go on, the U.S.S. Reagan is also a home.
"We have a theater. We have four weight rooms, a bunch of treadmills. It's pretty much a luxury liner for military people,” said OS1 Abraham Nantin.
A luxury liner with plenty of fire power.
