USS Ronald Reagan vs Jellyfish

As a U.S. Navy Nuclear-powered Aircraft Carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan is one of the mightiest warships ever put to sea. Over 1000 feet long and weighing around 100,000 tons, with 5000 personnel and 90 aircraft on board, the Reagan is able to project more power than the entire militaries of some countries.

You’d think that it would take a lot to disable such a powerful vessel, but in late January of 2006, America’s Flagship, was laid low by The humble jellyfish.

During the ship’s first port visit of its maiden deployment in Brisbane, Australia, the ships’ sea water intakes began sucking in jellyfish that have proliferated in the harbor.

This clogged the strainers and prevented cooling water from getting to essential systems leading to the Reagan’s nuclear reactors shutting down.

The ship’s back-up diesel generators could not produce enough electricity to power the entire ship, leaving much of its interior in darkness, without air conditioning and reeking of diesel fumes as maintenance teams cleaned strainers around the clock in order to get the Reagan back out to sea.