Cruise wars: To lure tourists, companies vie to launch biggest ship

There's a battle brewing at sea, but you won't hear a lick about it from the Pentagon. That's because it involves passenger ships, not battleships.

Cruise lines are fighting for customers by launching their biggest boats ever. It's no warship, but the largest boat to date -- Royal Caribbean International's (RCL) Oasis of the Seas (pictured) -- is, at 1,187 feet, 89 feet longer than the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, one of the world's biggest warships. And Carnival's (CCL) largest cruise ship plying the ocean blue, the 1,004-foot Carnival Dream, is just about 40 feet shorter than the Chrysler Building is tall.