LARGEST AIRCRAFT CARRIER: NIMITZ-CLASS, US NAVY

The US Navy's mammoth Nimitz-class carriers tower 20 stories above water and at 332.8 metres are nearly as long as the Empire State Building is high. But sometimes big can present problems, such as on a recent  visit to the UK when the USS Theodore Roosevelt, nicknamed The Big Stick, had to moor off the coast of Solent, as it was too big to dock at Portsmouth's Royal Navy base.

Displacing a colossal 100,000 plus tons and with 4.5 acres of flight deck, the super-carriers are capable of carrying 80 combat aircraft and a ships complement of 3200. The ship is stocked with food supplies for 90 days and every day serves 18,150 meals.