If You Strapped An Aeroplane Engine To An Aircraft Carrier, Would It Go Faster?

If You Strapped An Aeroplane Engine To An Aircraft Carrier, Would It Go Faster?

This is Aviation Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class Christopher Cogar. He’s testing a F-414 jet engine’s afterburner aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington. And spectacular view, no doubt, which made me wonder:

If he’s testing this on the stern of the carrier, would the ship go faster? It seems logical that it will, since any force would affect a mass, even if the mass is huge. But can anyone with some solid physics knowledge tell us by how much?

Here’s some data:

F-414 jet engine maximum thrust: 22,000 lbf (98 kN)

USS George Washington displacement: 104,200 long tons (116,700 short tons)

USS George Washington maximum speed: 30+ knots (56+ km/h; 35+ mph)

An estimate will be good. [Flickr]

US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class William Pittman


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