Presidents from George Washington to Franklin Roosevelt have built up America’s navy, but few American leaders have taken so keen an interest in ship design as Donald Trump.(从华盛顿到罗斯福，历任总统都建设海军，但很少有人像特朗普那样对舰船设计兴趣浓厚。) He loves “Victory at Sea(《海上胜利》，1950年代美国海军纪录片)”, a 1950s documentary about the American navy’s exploits in the second world war, with battleships firing big guns and planes taking off from the pitching decks of aircraft-carriers. During his speech at the Republican National Convention in 2024, the most important speech in his presidential campaign, he went off script(脱离讲稿，即兴发挥) to boast(吹嘘，自夸) about his redesign of a warship’s bow(船头，舰艏) in his first term so they “look like yachts”. The reaction in the shipyard, he claimed, was “This guy sort of knows what he’s doing.”
从乔治·华盛顿到富兰克林·罗斯福，历任总统都曾壮大美国海军，但很少有美国领导人像唐纳德·特朗普这样对舰船设计抱有如此浓厚的兴趣。他喜爱《海上胜利》——一部关于美国海军在二战中功绩的20世纪50年代纪录片，片中战列舰巨炮齐射，飞机从颠簸的航母甲板上起飞。在2024年共和党全国代表大会上，那是他总统竞选中最重要的一次演讲，他脱离讲稿，吹嘘自己在第一任期内重新设计了军舰的舰艏，使其“看起来像游艇”。他声称，船厂的反应是“这家伙好像还真懂点行”。
That is debatable(有争议的，可商榷的). The navy has a ship problem, with fewer than 300 operational despite a congressional mandate(授权，命令) to have 355. China has more than 370. So Mr Trump is taking action. In December he ordered the construction of outsize(超大型的) new “Trump-class” ships, bristling with(布满，充满（武器等）) missile launchers, laser weapons and electromagnetic rail-guns. This design may not be wise—the size of each battleship in Mr Trump’s new “Golden Fleet” may make them a riskier bet than having a larger number of smaller vessels.(这一设计可能不明智——巨型战列舰比多艘小型舰艇风险更大。) But his newest demand, to replace electromagnetic catapults on new aircraft-carriers with outmoded steam-driven ones, is definitively retrograde(倒退的，退步的).
这一点值得商榷。海军存在舰船数量问题，尽管国会要求拥有355艘，但现役舰船不足300艘。中国拥有370多艘。于是特朗普先生正在采取行动。去年12月，他下令建造超大型的“特朗普级”舰船，这些舰船配备导弹发射器、激光武器和电磁轨道炮。这一设计可能并不明智——特朗普新“黄金舰队”中每艘战列舰的尺寸可能使其比拥有更多小型舰艇风险更大。但他最新的要求——用过时的蒸汽弹射器取代新航母上的电磁弹射器——绝对是倒退。
Catapults are how planes take off from a carrier’s short flight deck. On August 13th Mr Trump ordered the Pentagon to present a plan for steam-driven catapult(弹射器)s within 60 days. He thinks EMALS, the electromagnetic catapults, are too complex. The system has suffered teething problems(初期问题，磨合期问题) but appears to have stabilised(稳定下来). The USS Gerald R. Ford(杰拉尔德·R·福特号航空母舰) concluded a 326-day deployment, operating off(在……附近海域行动) Venezuela and Iran, with 12,000 successful launches. Bryan Clark of the Hudson Institute, a think-tank, reckons EMALS enables a sortie rate 20% higher than steam-based launchers.(哈德逊研究所的布莱恩·克拉克认为电磁弹射器的出击率比蒸汽弹射器高20%。) It delivers a smoother acceleration, reducing strain on aircraft, and can launch flimsier drones without the thump(重击声，砰的一声) of a steam piston. China and France are fitting their new carriers with electromagnetic launchers.
弹射器是飞机从航母短飞行甲板上起飞的方式。8月13日，特朗普先生命令五角大楼在60天内提交蒸汽弹射器计划。他认为电磁弹射器（EMALS）过于复杂。该系统曾出现初期问题，但似乎已经稳定。杰拉尔德·R·福特号航母完成了为期326天的部署，在委内瑞拉和伊朗附近海域行动，成功弹射12000次。哈德逊研究所（一家智库）的布莱恩·克拉克估计，电磁弹射器的出击率比蒸汽弹射器高20%。它提供更平稳的加速，减少对飞机的压力，并且可以发射更轻巧的无人机，而无需蒸汽活塞的冲击。中国和法国正在为其新航母配备电磁弹射器。