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USS Nimitz

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USS Nimitz at sea near Victoria, British Columbia
USS Nimitz at sea near Victoria, British Columbia
History
US
NameUSS Nimitz
NamesakeFleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz
Ordered31 March 1967
Laid down22 June 1968
Commissioned3 May 1975
ReclassifiedCVN-68
HomeportNaval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California
MottoTeamwork, a Tradition
Nickname(s)"Old Salt"
StatusTemplate:Ship fate box active in service
General characteristics
Class and typeNimitz-class aircraft carrier
DisplacementTemplate:Nimitz class aircraft carrier displacement
Length
  • Overall: 1,092 feet (332.8 m)
  • Waterline: 1,040 feet (317.0 m)
Beam
  • Overall: 252 ft (76.8 m)
  • Waterline: 134 ft (40.8 m)
Draft
  • Maximum navigational: 37 feet (11.3 m)
  • Limit: 41 feet (12.5 m)
Propulsion
Speed30+ knots (56+ km/h; 35+ mph)[3]
RangeUnlimited distance; 20–25 years
Complement
  • Ship's company: 3,532
  • Air wing: 2,480
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
ArmamentTemplate:Nimitz class aircraft carrier armament I
ArmorUnknown
Aircraft carried90 fixed wing and helicopters

USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is a supercarrier in the United States Navy, the lead ship of its class. It is one of the largest warships in the world. It 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 keel of Nimitz was laid down 22 June 1968 by Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia, and it was commissioned 3 May 1975 by President Gerald Ford. The ship was named for Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who commanded the Pacific fleet in World War II. Unlike all subsequent Nimitz class carriers, Nimitz only uses its namesake's surname. Captain Michael Manazir assumed command of the Nimitz on 16 March 2007.

The documentary series Carrier focuses on the life of Nimitz and the crew members that served on it during a six month deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005.

Ship's history

The USS Nimitz was first deployed to the Mediterranean in 1976 in company with the nuclear powered cruisers USS South Carolina and USS California. It was the first time in ten years that the United States had deployed nuclear-powered ships to the Mediterranean. The cruise was uneventful, and the carrier returned to Norfolk, Virginia in February 1977.

A second Mediterranean cruise was conducted during 1977–1978 was also uneventful. The third cruise conducted in September 1979, had the carrier involved in Operation Evening Light; the attempt to rescue the U.S. Embassy staff being held hostage in Tehran, Iran. The mission was aborted when helicopters crashed at a rendezvous point in the Iranian desert. The ship finally returned home 26 May 1980, having spent 144 days at sea.

1980-1990

On 26 May 1981, one of the carrier's EA-6B Prowlers crash landed on her flight deck, killing 14 crewmen and injuring 45 others.[4] Forensic testing conducted found that several members of the deceased flightdeck 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.[5]

In 1981, during a Freedom of Navigation exercise in the Gulf of Sidra in international waters near Libya, two F-14As of VF-41 engaged two Libyan Su-22s, resulting in the two Libyans aircraft being shotdown. This became known as the Gulf of Sidra incident.

In 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 it remained until August. The embarked airwing flew continuous sorties for 67 days, bombing several sites in Beirut including the international airport runways.

Nimitz departed Norfolk, Virginia for the Mediterranean in December 1986. After four months and numerous Mediterranean port visits, the carrier crossed the equator en route to Rio de Janeiro. From Rio it proceeded south around Cape Horn and into the Pacific. After a brief stop in San Diego, California to offload its air wing, it arrived at its new home port of Bremerton, Washington on 30 June 1987.

During the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, the Nimitz provided security off the coast of South Korea. In October it participated in Operation Earnest Will, operating in the North Arabian Sea. On 30 November, while the ship conducted operations in the Arabian Sea, a 20 mm cannon accidentally fired on a A-7 Corsair II during maintenance. Six other aircraft were set on fire and there were two casualties; one sailor was killed and another died in the hospital from injuries on 2 December.

1990-2001

On 25 February 1991, it relieved the USS Ranger in Operation Desert Storm. It deployed again to the Persian Gulf for several months in 1993, relieving the USS Kitty Hawk during Operation Southern Watch.

In March 1996, it 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.

On September 1997, the Nimitz began an around the world cruise that ended in Newport News where it underwent a mid-life Refueling Complex Overhaul (RCOH) that ended 25 June 2001.

2000s

In 2001, the Nimitz changed its home port to San Diego, California, arriving there on 13 November. In January 2002, it began a four month post-shakedown availability at NAS North Island. The pier-side availability ended in May.

In mid-April 2003, Nimitz relieved the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Persian Gulf, launching aircraft for sorties over Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She returned to San Diego on 5 November 2003 where maintenance and repair work was carried out. After these were completed, the ship and crew conducted sea trials.[citation needed]

The Nimitz again deployed to the Persian Gulf in May 2005, returning in November 2005. This deployment is depicted in the 2008 PBS documentary series Carrier.[6]

The carrier departed North Island, San Diego in April 2007 on a six-month deployment in the Arabian Sea, relieving the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. She reached Chennai, India on 2 July as part of efforts to expand bilateral defense cooperation between India and the United States.[7] Sailors of the nuclear powered aircraft carrier participated in community work in Chennai during its station there. She left Indian shores on 5 July along with the destroyer USS Pinckney towards the Persian Gulf. She returned to North Island on 30 September 2007.

On January 2008, the Nimitz deployed to the Pacific for a surge-deployment.[8] On 9 February 2008, two Russian Tu-95 'Bear bombers overflew the carrier in the Western Pacific.[9] Four F/A-18C Hornets were launched when the bombers were 500 miles (800 km) away from the U.S. ships, and intercepted the bombers 50 miles (80 km) south of the 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 50 miles (80 km) away from the carrier. The fighters then proceeded to guide the Russians away from the area. 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 the Nimitz at an altitude of 2,000 feet (610 m). This caused much controversy. On the same day, Russian aircraft entered Japanese airspace, which caused the Japanese to raise protest at the Russian ambassador in Tokyo.[10] CVN-68/CVW-11 made a port visit to Busan, South Korea on 28 February in conjunction with military exercises Key Resolve/Foal Eagle.[11] Again, on 5 March 2008, a Russian bomber came within three to five nautical miles (9 km) and flew 2,000 feet (610 m) above the Nimitz and its battle group. Two F/A-18 fighters intercepted the Russian aircraft and escorted it out of the area.[9]

The Nimitz was awarded the Navy Battle "E" for battle efficiency for 2007 along with the Ney award for food service excellence and the Department of Defense Thomas Jefferson Award for best newsletter format publication "Nimitz News". She returned to her homeport of San Diego, California on 3 June 2008 and is currently conducting training for a deployment in July 2009.

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"[13]
  • Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (VFA-41) "Black Aces"
  • Strike Fighter Squadron 81 (VFA-81) "Sunliners"
  • Strike Fighter Squadron 97 (VFA-97) "Warhawks"
  • Electronic Attack Squadron 135 (VAQ-135) "Black Ravens"
  • Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 117 (VAW-117) "Wallbangers"
  • Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron 6 (HS-6) "Indians"
  • Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30 Detachment 4 (VRC-30) "Providers"

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 Nimtiz and F-8s from the French carrier Foch, engaging in a carrier v bomber duel during which the Foch was destroyed and Nimtiz 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 the USS Nimitz.

The USS Nimitz is mentioned in passing in the movie Air Force One (1997).

See also

References

  1. ^ Kuperman, Alan; von Hippel, Frank (10 April 2020). "US Study of Reactor and Fuel Types to Enable Naval Reactors to Shift from HEU Fuel". International Panel on Fissile Materials. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  2. ^ Hanlon, Brendan Patrick (19 May 2015). Validation of the Use of Low Enriched Uranium as a Replacement for Highly Enriched Uranium in US Submarine Reactors (PDF) (MSc). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  3. ^ Gibbons, Tony (2001). The Encyclopedia of Ships. London, United Kingdom: Amber Books. p. 444. ISBN 978-1-905704-43-9.
  4. ^ Anderson, Kurt (8 June 1981). "Night of Flaming Terror". TIME in partnership with CNN. Time.com. Retrieved 2 October 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Ackerman, D. L. (1991). A history of drug testing. In R. H. Coombs & L. J. West (Eds.), Drug testing: Issues and options (pp. 3-21). Oxford: Oxford University Press,
  6. ^ "Nimitz Highlighted in PBS TV Series and Premiere". U.S. Navy. 23 April 2008.
  7. ^ "USS Nimitz not known to be carrying nuke warheads". The Times of India. -26 Jun 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ Nimitz Carrier Strike Group Set to Deploy
  9. ^ a b Reuters (5 March 2008). "Russian bomber intercepted near U.S. ship". MSNBC. Retrieved 6 March 2008. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  10. ^ "Russian bombers fly over US aircraft carrier". 12 February 2008. Retrieved 6 March 2008.
  11. ^ "Nimitz CSG Ships Arrive in South Korea for Port Visits". Nimitz Carrier Strike Group 11 Public Affairs. 29 February 2008. Retrieved 6 March 2008.
  12. ^ http://www.cds23.navy.mil/
  13. ^ http://www.csfwp.navy.mil/cvw-11/squadrons.htm
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