A misunderstanding over public tours aboard the visiting US aircraft carrier USS George Washington has left Queensland fans hoping for an up-close encounter disappointed.

The USS George Washington and its 5,500 crew members on board arrived at the Port of Brisbane on Friday for a four-day stay.

However, a spokesman for the American Consulate said there was a misunderstanding yesterday when the captain of the USS George Washington told a media conference there were public tours of the ship.

Due to security concerns, the only tours have been organised through Defence Department or the US Embassy and are for dignitaries and politicians.

Queensland Police Service (QPS) took to Facebook this morning to warn those attempting to visit the warship up close not to bother.

"Thinking of visiting the USS George Washington. Think again. There are no public tours available and there is an exclusion zone in place," QPS wrote online.

They said the best vantage point was across the river at Luggage Point, but they have also warned motorists to expect long delays due to heavy traffic.

A QPS spokesman said the area was "very boggy" following wet weather last week.

The Facebook status attracted replies from dozens of disappointed hopefuls.

"We were on our way because we heard on the news there were tours. I now have two very upset kids," one person wrote in reply.

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Sailor on shore leave have a series of community events planned for their short stay, including a visit to patients at the Lady Cilento Children's Hospital, the Queensland Maritime Museum and Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.

They will also take on the QPS and other emergency personnel in games of basketball and soccer.

The nuclear powered aircraft carrier stands 74.4 metres from the keel to the mast, about the height of a 24-story building, and stretches 333 metres from bow to stern.

The flight deck is 76.8 metres wide and equal to 18,210 square metres.

Its displacement - a measure of the weight of the vessel - is approximately 87,966 metric tonnes and its top speed is 56 kilometres per hour.