Queen Mary 2 vs USS Nimitz
Queen Mary 2 (345 m) is 1.04× the size of USS Nimitz (333 m).
USS Nimitz is 96% of the height of Queen Mary 2. The gap between them is 12.2 m (40 ft).
The comparison in numbers
| Thing | Size | In feet | Measured as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queen Mary 2 | 345 m | 1,132 ft | length |
| USS Nimitz | 333 m | 1,092 ft | length |
What the scale shows
Queen Mary 2 (345 m) is 1.04× the size of USS Nimitz (333 m). The gap between them is 12.2 m (40 ft). Both are vehicles & ships, so the figures describe the same kind of thing.
Draw both on one baseline and the smaller one fills 96% of the frame while the larger one runs to the top. The two are close enough that the difference is easy to see side by side.
Read the rest — 8 more sections
What each figure means
The figure for Queen Mary 2 is its length (overall length). The figure for USS Nimitz is its length (overall length).
Crossing them
Walking pace is 1.4 m/s, so crossing Queen Mary 2's 345 m takes 4.1 minutes and USS Nimitz's 333 m takes 4 minutes.
In people: Queen Mary 2 is 203 adults of 1.7 m tall, USS Nimitz is 195.8. By size Queen Mary 2 is 3rd of the 14 vehicles & ships on this site and USS Nimitz is 4th, so 1 place separates them in the ranking.
How to read these two figures
Before trusting any comparison, check what each number measures. The Queen Mary 2 is given as a length, overall length. The USS Nimitz is given as a length, overall length. Both are length figures, so putting them on one baseline is a like-for-like comparison, although the exact individual or convention still matters.
Vehicles are listed by overall length. Rockets are the exception and are given as full stack height standing on the pad. Everything is drawn standing upright so one scale holds.
Where the pair sits among all the sizes here
Across all 86 things on this site, the Queen Mary 2 is number 41 from the top and the USS Nimitz is number 42. No other item falls between them, so in this collection they are direct neighbours.
Because the collection spans 13 mm up to 1,392,700 km, a ratio of 107,130,769,231× from smallest to largest, the position of a pair says a lot: the pair sits in the middle of the range rather than at an extreme.
What the length ratio hides
A length ratio of 1.04× is easy to picture, but area and volume grow faster than length. If two objects had exactly the same shape, the Queen Mary 2 would have about 1.07× the surface or footprint of the USS Nimitz, and about 1.11× the volume. These two are not the same shape, so treat the figures as an upper bound for an imaginary scaled copy, not as a measurement of either one.
The drawing above shows length only. The USS Nimitz is drawn 96% as tall as the Queen Mary 2, but the equivalent share of footprint would be only 93.1%, which is why the smaller one looks even slighter than the numbers alone suggest.
Time to cross each one
A sprinter holding about 10 m/s covers the Queen Mary 2 in 35 seconds and the USS Nimitz in 33 seconds. Sound, at about 343 m/s in air, takes 1 seconds for the larger and 970 milliseconds for the smaller. A jet cruising at 900 km/h needs 1.4 seconds and 1.3 seconds.
These times assume a straight line and constant speed, which no real crossing has, but they turn a number in metres into something the body understands. At any fixed speed the travel times keep the same 1.04× ratio as the sizes.
The same figures in other units
The Queen Mary 2 measures 345 m, which is 1,132 ft or 377.3 yards. The USS Nimitz measures 333 m, which is 1,092 ft.
The difference between them is 12.2 m (40 ft). In metres the smaller one is 332.8 against 345, so the 1.04× ratio holds in every unit; only the numbers on the ruler change.
Questions people ask about this pair
Which is bigger, the Queen Mary 2 or the USS Nimitz?
The Queen Mary 2 is bigger. At 345 m it is 1.04× the size of the USS Nimitz, which is 333 m.
How many times does the USS Nimitz fit along the Queen Mary 2?
Less than twice: the USS Nimitz is 96% of the size of the Queen Mary 2, so one fits with 12.2 m to spare.
Are the two figures measured the same way?
Yes in kind: both are length figures. The Queen Mary 2 is overall length; the USS Nimitz is overall length.
How does the gap look in people?
Taking an adult of 1.7 m, the Queen Mary 2 is about 203 people tall and the USS Nimitz is about 195.8. The gap of 12.2 m is 7.2 people.
Where do the numbers come from?
Each item has its own page that names the measurement and links to the Wikipedia article it was taken from. Some figures are rounded, and animals vary from one individual to the next, so treat them as representative values rather than records for every case.
How the sizes are taken. Each figure says what it measures — height, length, diameter or elevation — and for which individual or convention. Everything is drawn standing upright on one baseline so a single scale holds, including things that are long rather than tall. Values come from the linked Wikipedia article for each item.