USS Nimitz Aircraft Carrier Seen Operating Near Iran

More recently, the supercarrier has deployed to the South China Sea and the Middle East.

On its final deployment following nearly half a century of service, the Navy’s oldest operational aircraft carrier was ported in Bahrain. Satellite imagery captured this week depicts the Nimitz-class carrier approaching the Strait of Hormuz while transiting into the Persian Gulf. The last time an American carrier sailed these waters was over a year ago, when the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group was dispatched to the Persian Gulf in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas war. USS Nimitz arrived in Bahrain, along with Carrier Strike Group 11, Carrier Air Wing 17, and destroyers USS Lenah Sutcliffee Higbee and USS Gridley. Despite the ongoing ceasefire between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, the presence of American warships in the Persian Gulf demonstrates Washington’s active role in the Middle East.

An Overview of the Nimitz-class

The 10 nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carriers currently in service with the US Navy are virtually unmatched in capability when compared to near-peer vessels. In fact, perhaps only the Navy’s new USS Gerald R. Ford-class carrier is more advanced. For nearly 50 years, the Nimitz ships have earned an impressive reputation. Named to honor the World War II US Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, these carriers retained the title of the largest carriers ever built prior to the introduction of the USS Ford. Measuring roughly 1,100 feet in length with a full-load displacement of over 100,000 long tons, the Nimitz ships truly represent what it means to be a “super carrier.”

All of the Nimitz carriers are powered by two A4W pressurized water reactors, rather than the diesel-electric systems or gas turbines used to power foreign near-peers. These powerful reactors enable the ships to reach speeds in excess of 30 knots. However, the true speed of the Nimitz carriers may actually be faster. In terms of fuel and ordnance power, this class of carriers can carry 90 percent more aviation fuel and 50 percent more ordnance than the previous Forrestal-class ships. Each of the Nimitz carriers is capable of lugging roughly 60 airframes, including a combination of rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft like fighter jets and helicopters. In order to launch these platforms, the Nimitz ships are equipped with steam catapults, which help provide lift for heavier airframes when taking off and landing from the flight deck.

USS Nimitz

USS Nimitz is currently underway on her last deployment after half a century of service. Back in 1975, the lead ship of her class was commissioned with the Navy at Naval Station Norfolk by the then-namesake of the USS Gerald R. Ford, President Gerald R. Ford. Over her long service history, Nimitz has been deployed virtually throughout the globe. In the 1970s, Nimitz was dispatched to the Indian Ocean in response to the Iran hostage crisis. In the 1980s, the carrier deployed to the Mediterranean and Caribbean seas. In the 1990s, Nimitz departed for the Persian Gulf in the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm. More recently, the supercarrier has deployed to the South China Sea and the Middle East.

About the Author: Maya Carlin

Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has bylines in many publications, including The National Interest, The Jerusalem Post, and The Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. 

Image: Wikimedia Commons.