thumb|Monitor showing data about USS NimitzUSS Nimitz (CVN-68) is a
supercarrier in the
United States Navy, the
lead ship of
its class. She is one of the largest
warships in the world. She was laid down, launched and commissioned as CVAN-68, but was redesignated CVN-68 (nuclear-powered multimission aircraft carrier) on 30 June 1975 as part of the fleet realignment of that year.
The ship was named for
Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who commanded the Pacific fleet in
World War II and was the Navy’s last five-star admiral. Unlike all subsequent Nimitz class carriers,
Nimitz only uses its namesake's
surname.
Nimitz has been homeported at
Naval Station Norfolk, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard from 1987 until her nuclear reactor refueling in 1998 in Newport News, Virginia, and is currently homeported at
NAS North Island.
Ship's history
Pre-Commissioning
The
keel of
Nimitz was laid down 22 June 1968 by
Newport News Shipbuilding in
Newport News, Virginia. She was christened in 1972 by Catherine Nimitz Lay, daughter of the late Admiral Nimitz.
Nimitz was delivered to the Navy in 1975 and she was commissioned at
Naval Station Norfolk, Va on 3 May 1975 by President
Gerald Ford.
1970s
USS
Nimitz first deployed to the
Mediterranean on 7 July 1976 with
Carrier Air Wing 8 embarked in company with the nuclear powered
cruisers
USS South Carolina and
USS California. In November 1976, NIMITZ was awarded the
Battle "E" from
Commander, Naval Air Force U.S. Atlantic Fleet, for being the most efficient and foremost aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Fleet. The cruise was uneventful, and the carrier returned to
Norfolk, Virginia on 7 February 1977.
A second uneventful Mediterranean cruise was conducted from 1 December 1977 to 20 July 1978. The third deployment began on 10 September 1979 to the Mediterranean. The ship moved to the
Indian Ocean in response to the
Iran hostage crisis in which the U.S. Embassy in
Tehran,
Iran was overtaken and 52 hostages were held. After four months on station,
Operation Evening Light was launched from
Nimitz's decks in an attempt to rescue the U.S. Embassy staff. The mission was aborted after a helicopter crashed at a refueling point in the Iranian desert. The ship finally returned home 26 May 1980, having spent 144 days at sea.
1980s
thumb|left|F/A-18 Hornet landing on USS Nimitz
On 26 May 1981, an
EA-6B Prowler crashed on the flight deck, killing 14 crewmen and injuring 45 others.
Forensic testing conducted found that several members of the deceased flight deck crew tested positive for marijuana. As a result of this incident, President Ronald Reagan instituted a "Zero Tolerance" drug policy across all of the armed services - which started the mandatory drug testing of all US service personnel.
Nimitz deployed again to the Mediterranean on 3 August 1981. The ship, in company with
USS Forrestal (CV-59), conducted a
Freedom of Navigation exercise in international waters in the
Gulf of Sidra near
Libya on 18 and 19 August 1981. On the morning of 19 August 1981, two
F-14As of
VF-41 were engaged by two Libyan Su-22s, resulting in the two Libyan aircraft being shot down in what became known as the
Gulf of Sidra incident.
Nimitz's fourth deployment, from 10 November 1982 to 20 May 1983, was to the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas.
Nimitz deployed a fifth time on 8 March 1985. On 14 June 1985, two Lebanese gunmen hijacked
TWA Flight 847, which carried 153 passengers and crew and included Americans. In response,
Nimitz was deployed to the coast of Lebanon, where she remained until August 1985. The embarked Airwing 8 flew continuous sorties for 67 days, bombing several sites in Beirut including the
international airport runways. The ship returned to Norfolk on 4 October 1985.
Nimitz, again with CVW-8 embarked, departed Norfolk for her sixth and final Mediterranean deployment on 30 December 1986. After four months and numerous Mediterranean port visits, the carrier crossed the equator en route to
Rio de Janeiro. From Rio she proceeded south around
Cape Horn and into the Pacific. After a brief stop in
San Diego, California to offload her East Coast air wing, she arrived at her new home port of
Bremerton, Washington on 2 July 1987.
Nimitz deployed to the Western Pacific with
Carrier Air Wing 9 embarked on 2 September 1988. During the
1988 Olympic Games in
Seoul,
Nimitz provided security off the coast of
South Korea. In October she operated in the
North Arabian Sea participating in
Operation Earnest Will, the protection of re-flagged
Kuwaiti tankers. On 30 November 1988, while in the Arabian Sea, a 20 mm cannon accidentally fired during maintenance, striking a
A-7 Corsair II. The ensuing fire spread to six other aircraft and there were two fatalities. The ship returned to Bremerton on 2 March 1989.
1990s
On 25 February 1991,
Nimitz departed Bremerton for the Persian Gulf in relief of
USS Ranger in the aftermath of
Operation Desert Storm, returning to Bremerton on 24 August 1991.
Nimitz again deployed to the Persian Gulf on 1 February 1993, in support of
Operation Southern Watch (OSW), returning on 19 August 1993.
On 27 November 1995,
Nimitz deployed to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean. In March 1996, she patrolled the waters off
Taiwan amid
missile tests conducted by the Chinese in the area, becoming the first American warship to pass though the
Taiwan Strait since 1976. She also cruised the Persian Gulf in support of OSW prior to returning from deployment on 20 May 1996.
On 1 September 1997,
Nimitz began an around the world cruise, again supporting OSW, that ended in
Newport News on 2 March 1998. She would spend the next three years undergoing a mid-life
Refueling Complex Overhaul (RCOH) that ended 25 June 2001.
2000s
On 21 September 2001, after sea trials in the Virginia Capes,
Nimitz began her transit around South America to her new home port of
NAS North Island in
San Diego, California, arriving there on 13 November 2001. Aircraft from
Carrier Air Reserve Wing 20 were embarked for the transit. From January to May 2002, she underwent a four month post-shakedown maintenance availability at North Island.
Nimitz's eleventh operational deployment began on 3 March 2003. She relieved
USS Abraham Lincoln in the
Persian Gulf in mid-April 2003, launching
Carrier Air Wing 11 aircraft sorties over
Iraq in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and
Afghanistan in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). She returned to San Diego on 5 November 2003.
Nimitz and CVW-11 were awarded the 2003
Battle "E" and
Flatley Award in early 2004.
Nimitz, again with CVW-11 embarked, deployed to the
Persian Gulf on 7 May 2005, returning on 8 November 2005. This deployment marked three decades of service, and was depicted in the 2008
PBS documentary series
Carrier. In June 2006,
Nimitz was awarded the 2005 Battle "E".
The carrier departed North Island for her thirteenth deployment on 2 April 2007 to the Arabian Sea, relieving
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in support of OIF. She anchored off
Chennai, India on 2 July 2007 as part of efforts to expand bilateral defense cooperation between India and the United States. Sailors participated in community work in
Chennai prior to departing, on 5 July 2007, along with the destroyer
USS Pinckney towards the
Persian Gulf. She returned to North Island on 30 September 2007.
On 24 January 2008,
Nimitz deployed to the Pacific for a "surge"-deployment. On 9 February 2008, two Russian
Tu-95 'Bear' bombers overflew the carrier in the Western Pacific.
Four
F/A-18C Hornets were launched when the bombers were away from the U.S. ships, and intercepted the bombers south of
Nimitz. Two F/A-18s trailed one of the bombers, which buzzed the deck of the carrier twice, while the other two F/A-18s trailed another TU-95 circling about away from the carrier. Reportedly, there was no radio communication between the American and Russian aircraft. According to the Department of Defense, one of the two aircraft was said to have flown above
Nimitz at an altitude of . On the same day, Russian aircraft entered Japanese airspace, which caused the Japanese to raise protest to the Russian ambassador in Tokyo.
Again, on 5 March 2008, a Russian bomber came within and flew above
Nimitz and its battle group. Two F/A-18 fighters intercepted the Russian aircraft and escorted it out of the area.
The
Nimitz was awarded the Navy
Battle "E" for battle efficiency for 2007 along with the Ney award for food service excellence. She returned to her homeport of San Diego, California on 3 June 2008.
Nimitz Strike Group, including CVW-11, departed the States for a scheduled Western Pacific deployment on 31 July 2009, and began to fly combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom
September 21.
Nimitz Carrier Battle Group
Nimitz is part of
Carrier Strike Group 11 (CSG-11) with
Carrier Air Wing 11 embarked, with
Nimitz as the
flagship of the battle group and the home of the commander of
Destroyer Squadron 23.
Ships of DESRON-23
Squadrons of CVW-11
- Strike Fighter Squadron 14 (VFA-14) "Tophatters"
- Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (VFA-41) "Black Aces"
- Strike Fighter Squadron 86 (VFA-86) "Sidewinders"
- Strike Fighter Squadron 97 (VFA-97) "Warhawks"
- Electronic Attack Squadron 135 (VAQ-135) "Black Ravens"
- Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron 6 (HS-6) "Indians"
- Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30 Detachment 4 (VRC-30) "Providers"
Popular culture
The USS
Nimitz is featured in the 1980 film
The Final Countdown starring Kirk Douglas, James Farentino and Martin Sheen. In the film, the ship and crew are thrown back in time via a wormhole storm to 6 December 1941 near Hawaii, just hours before the Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor.
Red Storm Rising by
Tom Clancy featured
F-14s from
Nimitz and
F-8s from the French carrier
Foch, engaging in a carrier v bomber duel during which the
Foch was destroyed and
Nimitz was so heavily damaged that she was forced to send her airwing ashore.
In 2005 PBS filmed
Carrier, a 10-part miniseries that documents naval life aboard USS
Nimitz.
See also
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