IIRC the link had said lock width of around 130-140 feet. She would have had a beam of arount 115 ft.
They figured that the carriers and BB’s were as big as they were going to get. Besides the manpower requirements would have been overpowering considering the war effort on two fronts once the class got cancelled. Once canceled, there would have been no need in that day and time for it.
Don’t know if the current improvements and additions there would allow transit even today of a Nimitz class.
Hi ;
My second command was 128ft.wide at the widest .I was told I couldn’t use the Canal ! This created some interesting and memorable crossings ! I couldn’t have anyway , But it sure would’ve made it easier! T.B. It probably would’ve been tight , But , our draft is what ruled it out ! Besides I don’t remember now how wide the original canal was .We did go through it on the Midway and it was tight.
According to Wikipedia, the canal was originally 94 feet wide. In 1908, the Navy requested it be widened to 118 feet to accommodate their ships.
Eventually they compromised at 110 feet.
goldhammer, the locks were not that wide because after the Tennessee, California & Wee Vee where widened to 114’, they could not go thru the locks but had to go around the southern tip of South America to reach the Pacific & past the southern tip of Africa to get back to the eastern seaboard of the States.