Why Does An Aircraft Carrier Cost So Much to Operate?

The United States is the only country with a fleet of large-deck, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, dubbed "supercarriers" by some. Each of the current fleet's ten Nimitz-class carriers displaces nearly 100,000 tons of water and has over four acres of deck space from which five dozen aircraft can operate. They are not only the largest warships in history; they are also the American military's signature weapon system.
So, the United States Navy spends approximately $60 billion per year operating and supporting its fleet of approximately 480 ships. To put things into perspective, Americans spend approximately $70 billion on lottery tickets, $80 billion on cigarettes, and approximately $100 billion on beer each year.