Nimitz-Class (Aircraft Carrier)
The Nimitz-class supercarriers are a class of ten nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in service with the United States Navy. The lead ship of the class is named for World War II United States Pacific Fleet commander Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who was the U.S. Navy's last fleet admiral. With an overall length of 1,092 ft (333 m) and full-load displacements of over 100,000 long tons, they are the largest warships ever built. Instead of the gas turbines or diesel-electric systems used for propulsion on many modern warships, the carriers use two A4W pressurized water reactors which drive four propeller shafts and can produce a maximum speed of over 30 knots (56 km/h) and maximum power of around 260,000 shp (190 MW). As a result of the use of nuclear power, the ships are capable of operating for over 20 years without refueling and are predicted to have a service life of over 50 years. They are categorized as nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and are numbered with consecutive hull numbers between CVN-68 and CVN-77.
All ten carriers were constructed by Newport News Shipbuilding Company in Virginia. USS Nimitz, the lead ship of the class, was commissioned on 3 May 1975, and USS George H.W. Bush, the tenth and last of the class, was commissioned on 10 January 2009. Since the 1970s, Nimitz-class carriers have participated in many conflicts and operations across the world, including Operation Eagle Claw in Iran, the Gulf War, and more recently in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The angled flight decks of the carriers use a CATOBAR arrangement to operate aircraft, with steam catapults and arrestor wires for launch and recovery. As well as speeding up flight deck operations, this allows for a much wider variety of aircraft than with the STOVL arrangement used on smaller carriers. An embarked carrier air wing consisting of up to around 90 aircraft is normally deployed on board. After the retirement of the F-14 Tomcat, the air wings' strike fighters are primarily F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and F/A-18C Hornets. In addition to their aircraft, the vessels carry short-range defensive weaponry for anti-aircraft warfare and missile defense.
Ships in class
The United States Navy lists the following ten ships in the Nimitz class:
| Ship | Hull Number | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Refuel, Overhaul |
Homeport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nimitz | CVN-68 | 22 June 1968 | 13 May 1972 | 3 May 1975 | 1998–2001 | Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California Naval Station Everett, Everett, Washington (2011) |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | CVN-69 | 15 August 1970 | 11 October 1975 | 18 October 1977 | 2001–2005 | Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia |
| Carl Vinson | CVN-70 | 11 October 1975 | 15 March 1980 | 13 March 1982 | 2005–2009 | Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California |
| Theodore Roosevelt | CVN-71 | 31 October 1981 | 27 October 1984 | 25 October 1986 | 2009–2013 | Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia |
| Abraham Lincoln | CVN-72 | 3 November 1984 | 13 February 1988 | 11 November 1989 | 2013- | Naval Station Everett, Everett, Washington Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia (2011) |
| George Washington | CVN-73 | 25 August 1986 | 21 July 1990 | 4 July 1992 | Yokosuka Naval Base, Yokosuka, Japan | |
| John C. Stennis | CVN-74 | 13 March 1991 | 11 November 1993 | 9 December 1995 | Naval Base Kitsap, Bremerton, Washington | |
| Harry S. Truman | CVN-75 | 29 November 1993 | 7 September 1996 | 25 July 1998 | Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia | |
| Ronald Reagan | CVN-76 | 12 February 1998 | 4 March 2001 | 12 July 2003 | Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California | |
| George H.W. Bush | CVN-77 | 6 September 2003 | 9 October 2006 | 10 January 2009 | Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia |
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