USS Nimitz (CVN-68)

History of the USS Nimitz (CVN-68)

One of the most recognizable names in the U.S. Navy of WWII became the name of one of the most recognizable aircraft carriers of the Cold War. USS Nimitz - named after Admiral Chester W. Nimitz of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet - was the first ship of the Nimitz-class in which she was launched in the early 1970s, during her decades of service During his career, he developed a legendary career.

Originally designated CVAN-68, but renamed CVN-68 in 1975, the USS Nimitz remains one of the largest ocean-going warships ever built and one of the most powerful offensive weapons in the world.

The design is traditional, the island layout remains on the starboard side. An angled flight deck extends from stern to port and four steam catapults operate from angled decks (2) and straight decks (2). Four hangar lifts serve the flight deck, one on the port side, one on the starboard aft of the island and two on the starboard in front of the island superstructure. Defensive armament consists of 2 Sea Rolling Fuselage Missile Launchers and 2 Mk 29 Sea Sparrow Surface-to-Air Missile Launchers. Its offensive air force consists of 90 aircraft of various makes and types, including the F/A/-18 Hornet strike fighter (formerly the F-14 Tomcat interceptor, now retired), the EA-6B Prowler airborne electronic warfare , E2-C Early Airborne Warning Hawkeye, Anti-Submarine Warfare S-3B Viking, SH-60/HH-60 Seahawk (helicopter) and C-2A Greyhound transport aircraft.

When working together, all of these systems are complemented by the offensive and defensive capabilities of the accompanying support ship.

As a nuclear powered aircraft carrier, USS Nimitz is powered by 2 Westinghouse branded A4W reactors, which in turn drive four-wheel steam turbines and 4 shafts with 260,000 shp. Due to the nature of a nuclear reactor, the ship can reach a top speed of just over 30 knots and has essentially unlimited range.

Her complement includes 3,200 sailors and as many as 2,480 aviation crew members.

The USS Nimitz had an uneventful first sortie and cruised the Mediterranean on the second sortie. After the Shah was overthrown in 1979, she helped rescue the staff of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran. Rescue helicopters took off from her deck, but bad weather in the desert doomed several flights to catastrophic failure for the Americans and a thriving new regime. Nimitz was called home the following year. During the 1981 incident in Sidre Bay off the coast of Libya, the powerful air wing of the USS Nimitz was located in the center of the Mediterranean Sea.

Two F-14 Tomcat interceptors were attacked by two Libyan aircraft. The resulting operation saw two Libyan planes destroyed, but no damage was done to the Tomcat team. Nimitz acted as a deterrent and provided maritime security during the capture of TWA Flight 847 and later the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

The turbulent 1980s ended with standard port access and security operations.

In the early 1990s, the Nimitz was called to support operations related to Desert Storm and later Southern Watch, the enforcement of the no-fly zone in southern Iraq. More deterrence missions brought them to Taiwan when word got out that China had begun testing missiles in an apparent show of force. The circumnavigation of the globe began on September 1, 1997 and ended on November 13, 2001 in San Diego, California (now Nimitz's new home port).

In 2003, the ship will support Operation Iraqi Freedom, followed by further operations in the Persian Gulf. The USS Nimitz made headlines twice in 2008 to glorify the Cold War when Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers flew overhead without communicating with the Nimitz crew.

When the bombers first came within 500 miles, Nimitz fighters were ordered to drop down and escort the planes off the ship, certainly a test of the Russian aircrew's ability to respond to the Nimitz.

The Nimitz was first ordered in 1967 and built the following year by the Newport News Shipyard in Newport News, Virginia, USA. She was launched in 1972 and officially commissioned in 1975. Fighting under the "Teamwork, Tradition" banner, the ship is affectionately known as "Old Salt." As of this writing, she has been in service.

The USS Nimitz is the focal point of the time-traveling Hollywood sci-fi film "The Last Countdown," starring Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen.

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