Key Points and Summary: The Iran-backed Houthi group poses a challenge with missile and drone attacks, but their threat to U.S. aircraft carriers like the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower remains negligible. Carriers are highly resilient; past tests showed they could withstand multiple hits before sinking.
-The Eisenhower’s captain dismissed Houthi claims of damaging the ship as propaganda. Carrier strike groups boast robust defenses, including Aegis-equipped escorts and close-in weapon systems.
-While the Houthis could disrupt flight deck operations, sinking a carrier would require extraordinary luck and coordination. However, such an event isn’t impossible.
-The Navy’s preparedness underscores its capability to counter both asymmetric threats and state-level challenges like China.
Can the Houthis Really Sink a U.S. Aircraft Carrier?
The Iran-backed, Yemen-based Houthis are the essence of an asymmetric warfare group that is battling a stronger foe.
They steadfastly take on Western civilian shipping and launch missiles and drones at U.S. Navy warships.
The insurgents have endured bombing runs from Saudia Arabia and the United States as they hide in the mountains and cities.
Just how far are they willing to go when they are on the attack?
Could an American aircraft carrier be in danger of their missiles and drones?
The Skipper of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Says No Way
In July, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, a gargantuan supercarrier, was on patrol in the Red Sea. The Houthis tried to spread the claim that they hit the Eisenhower with missiles and drones, sending it to the bottom.
This so-called “sinking” was a far-fetched boast used for propaganda purposes. The carrier’s commander, Captain Christopher Hill, made fun of the Houthi attempts. He didn’t seem to take these actions that seriously.
“I think it’s been about two or three times in the past six months we’ve allegedly been sunk, which we have not been. It is almost comical at this point. They’re attempting to maybe inspire themselves through misinformation, but it doesn’t work on us,” Hill told the Associated Press.
Well-trained Crew
The Eisenhower, despite its age, would be difficult to sink. Sailors are always prepared for the worst, as some of the first basic training one learns in the Navy is to put out fires and close bulkheads to keep ships from flooding.
USS America Aircraft Carrier Sinking in a Controlled Detonation in 2005. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The USS America Once Took a Pounding and Lived for Four Weeks
The Navy has studied how many hits a carrier can absorb before sinking. The USS America, a retired carrier, underwent a “sinking exercise” in 2005.
It took several “hits” by explosives over four weeks before it sank.
This showed that an American carrier can take a punch before it is entirely knocked out.
It Would Take a Concerted Effort from the Houthis
Thus, the Houthis would have to get lucky before they could sink a supercarrier. This would take multiple direct hits from missiles, drones, and even unmanned “kamikaze” boats the Houthis sometimes deploy.
Carriers defend themselves with air defense missiles and close-in weapons systems for any projectile that makes it through the defensive screen. They also have help. A carrier strike group has numerous escorts – surface ships and submarines – that can protect a carrier. These use the highly effective Aegis Combat System that can detect enemy launches and fire surface-to-air interceptors to shield a carrier.
NORFOLK (Aug. 16, 2019) The Nimitz-class aircraft carriers USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), left, and USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) moored at Naval station Norfolk. Making port at Naval station Norfolk is a routine activity for aircraft carriers.
Even if a few missiles got through the protective screen, they would only do minor damage. It would take at least ten hits to place a carrier in dire straits and 20 missiles to sink it, according to various social media accounts reviewed by Forbes.
Sometimes, attackers can get lucky. At an early stage of the war in Ukraine, the Russian flagship Moskva of the Black Sea fleet was sunk by two hits from Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles. Fire may have engulfed the ship’s ammunition magazines, creating an explosion that fatally damaged it in April 2022.
That’s what it would take to sink a carrier with less than a dozen hits. Weapons would have to reach the ship’s area that stores fuel or ammunition. These storage centers are well-protected for that reason.
However, there is always a chance that the Houthis could get lucky and sink what many consider the unsinkable.
Aircraft Carrier Drama: Disrupting Flight Deck Operations
However, the sinking of a carrier may not be the only objective of the Houthis. They can continue to fire their missiles and launch their drones to ruin the intricate ballet that comprises carrier aviation operations. If the flight deck is at risk from a hit, then sorties will be limited.
U.S. Navy battle planners are thus closely watching the developments with the Houthis. Nobody wants to make a mistake and allow an anti-ship missile to damage a carrier.
All sailors must be on their toes when patrolling in the Red Sea.
(Oct. 30, 2007) – Aircraft Carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) conducts rudder checks as part of the ship’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) following a six-month Planned Incremental Availability. All naval vessels are periodically inspected by INSURV to check their material condition and battle readiness. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class M. Jeremie Yoder (RELEASED)
This makes for quality combat training that would prepare for state actors like China, who are also taking note of how U.S. carriers react to missile launches and drones.
So far, the countermeasures that the Navy is using are working against the Houthis.
Let’s hope that a carrier doesn’t succumb to an accident and a run of bad luck that would lead to damages and a debilitating fire.
That’s unlikely, but is still a plausible scenario.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
