Today the ships have become so large, complex, compact and efficient that they could serve as an example for the cities and buildings on the other side of the coastline.

Floorplan of a small aircraft carrier. In the blue area sleep 32 persons. four beds above each other. The only privat space is a locker. The ship is known as 'Hr Ms Karel Doorman II', in service for the Dutch Royal Navy from 1948 till 1968. Argentine bought the ship in 1968 and called it '25 de Mayo'. The ship was of little importance during the Falkland war. It has been dismantled at an Indian shore.

Floorplan of the Unité d'Habitation of Le Corbusier (both images above have the same scale). The blue color indicates the livingspace for one small family circa 4 persons.
 

some quotes

"I've gone four or five days without never going above deck," said Seaman Matthew Delmore, a bomb assembler on his first deployment. "Is it Wednesday? Is it Saturday? You lose track of the time. It's weird."

Airman Tim Burklow, 21, works in the scullery and, with his five companions, washes 10,500 dishes a day. The war, to Burklow, is what he catches for a few minutes each day on CNN.

It is more like "a day at the office," as one sailor put it, if the office happens to be engaged in the deployment of jets loaded with laser-guided bombs.
Sailor on board Theodore Roosevelt, april 1999 close to yougoslavia

The great advantage of carriers is that they enable the USA to carry out independent actions without the need for foreign bases.

Aircraft carriers are the United States' first line of defense in a crisis. These self-sustaining war cities must leave port prepared to house over 6,000 people and travel one million miles before refueling.
Discovery channel