A noob naval question

[Kapitan_Phillips]

I was just playing Silent Steel (:rock::rock::rock::rock::rock:) and wondered whether or not aircraft carriers are fitted with the same sonar sets as other surface US warships are. Normally, I'd say yes, but as you rarely see one without a battle group, it made me wonder :hmm:

[sonar732]

There was only one carrier with sonar...

America had several differences from the lead units of the class. Instead of two forward anchors (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchor), one on each side, America had no starboard anchor, having a bow anchor instead and an additional anchor astern, both changes were to accommodate the AN/SQS-23 sonar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonar). America was the only post World War II US carrier to be built with sonar, though it was removed in the early 1980s. America also had a narrow smokestack compared to prior units.[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Hawk_class_aircraft_carrier#_note-MNC)
John F. Kennedy had similar design changes regarding the anchors to accommodate a sonar array, but the sonar was never installed. There were also plans to make the fourth unit nuclear powered, but since Congress would not authorize it, John F. Kennedy was constructed as a conventionally powered carrier.[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Hawk_class_aircraft_carrier#_note-MNC) John F. Kennedy's smokestack is also different and tilts outboard to send stack gas away from the flight deck.