How much ocean life did that wipe out I wonder?
[1] https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/migrated/deepwaterho...
I hope at least some consideration and minimisation of this went into the plan.
The Suez Canal has a minimum depth of 12m at low tide.
USS Nimitz navigating Suez: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_HOjxu8nB8
Carriers operate in deep water. The only times they are in shallow water are coming into or leaving port, or transiting a canal like the Suez in order to get somewhere.
The parent comment made a verifiably false statement, I provided video evidence to the contrary.
It may not be carrying out battle manoeuvres in the canal, but it also isn’t immune to threat while it’s there.
I don’t see much reason why it couldn’t operate CWIS or launch missiles or aircraft while it’s there if necessary.
They could also serve at least some of their other, non-war, support functions while in shallow waters.
The threat in such a place would not be an underwater explosion a couple of miles away, or a shock wave similar to that caused by such an explosion. It would be bombs or missiles targeted directly at the carrier. Which is not the kind of threat the test in the article under discussion was testing for.
> I don’t see much reason why it couldn’t operate CWIS or launch missiles or aircraft while it’s there if necessary.
Operate CWIS, yes, in the unlikely event that it had to.
I don't think carriers carry missile launchers of their own.
Launch aircraft, not unless they're helicopters or VTOL aircraft; see my response to Retric downthread. Even that kind of launch would be dicey while transiting a canal, since the carrier still needs some room to maneuver for such launches.
Also, shallow waters means something specific, the surface waves are affected by the sea floor. The US Navy actively avoids those conditions for a host of reasons.
They couldn't launch anything that wasn't a helicopter or a VTOL aircraft. Carriers need upwards of 30 knots of wind over the deck, in the right direction (blowing from the front) to launch ordinary planes. You won't get that transiting a canal. Carriers do it by going to full speed in the open sea.
I hadn't thought of this consideration before the grandparent of this post, but now that it's been mentioned, it does seem that the time we can blanket dismiss environmental effects in favor of national security are over.