While USS Nimitz may likely be sailing her final deployment, the mighty aircraft carrier should not be dismissed as second-rate.
Satellite imagery recently tracked the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier sailing near Iran. According to reports, two US maritime surveillance planes and a pair of helos connected to the lead ship of the Nimitz-class were tracked flying above the Strait of Hormuz, signaling that the carrier’s location was nearby. In August, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11 arrived in Bahrain for a scheduled port call, accompanied by Carrier Air Wing 17 and destroyers USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee and USS Gridley. Nimitz embarked on what is meant to be her final deployment back in March, after serving the Navy for half a century. When the carrier left Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, for its final tour to the Indo-Pacific region, the Navy said on social media, “Seeing our Sailors man the rails today — with reflections from our very first deployment in 1976 — reminds us how far we’ve come, and how strong our legacy remains.” In her final tour, the service noted that Nimitz “will focus on protecting security, freedom, and prosperity for the United States, our allies and partners, and demonstrating the U.S. Navy’s unwavering commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
USS Nimitz, and the rest of her class, was named to honor World War II Pacific fleet commander Chester W. Nimitz, who served as the Navy’s third fleet admiral. As the lead ship of her class, USS Nimitz has remained in service for half a century. She was officially commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk in 1975 by the 38th president of the United States, Gerald R. Ford. Each of the 10 Nimitz carriers was constructed by Newport News Shipbuilding Company. Due to their nuclear power source, these ships are able to operate for more than two decades without requiring refueling. Two A4W pressurized water reactors power the ships, unlike earlier carrier classes, which were fueled by diesel-electric systems or gas turbines.
In terms of size, the Nimitz ships are massive. In fact, prior to the launch of the lead ship of the newer Ford series of carriers, the Nimitz boats were the largest carriers of their kind to ever sail the seas. These hefty supercarriers measure over 1,000 feet in length with a beam of more than 250 feet. Perhaps more important is the class’s ability to carry and launch some of the most advanced airframes in service across the globe. Notably, the Nimitz ships can carry 90 percent more aviation fuel and 50 percent more ordnance than their predecessors. USS Nimitz, like her sister ships, can carry around 60 airframes—including a combination of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft with up to 90 types.
While USS Nimitz may likely be sailing her final deployment, the mighty aircraft carrier should not be dismissed as second-rate. Until the Navy’s upcoming Ford-class successors are all commissioned, the Nimitz series will continue to ensure US security overseas.
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.
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