We have needed a thread about these critical carriers for some time...so I thought I would add it.
The Nimitz class aircraft carriers are the largest warships ever built (until the new ). They are the mainstay of the US Navy's power projection and sea lane protection capabilities. Each of these vessels carries an multi-role air wing that is larger and more powerful than many nation's complete air force. By having the resources, the experience, and the capability to build and operate ten of these vessels in class (where each vessel is surrounded by an extensive force of other surface and sub-surface combatants that make up each Carrier Strike Group (CSG), usually consisting of at least one , two to three , and one ), the United States remains the dominant sea force on earth.
The initial vessel, and namesake of the class, the USS Nimitz, CVN-68, was launched May 13, 1972 and commissioned May 3, 1975. As the first in class, with all the new features, she took some time to go through trials and get all worked up ready for commission. After that they would commission quicker, usually two or less years after launch, except the last in class, which was a transitional carrier to the next new class. Since the time the Nimitz was commissioned, nine more have been built, with the latest being the USS George H.W. Bush (after the 41st President of the United states) which was launched October 9, 2006 and commissioned January 10, 2009, 27 months later.
The ten vessels in class are:
This page and the next will show pictures of each of the ten, starting from the first, the USS Nimitz, and proceeding until the last, the USS George H.W. Bush.
The Nimitz class aircraft carriers are the largest warships ever built (until the new ). They are the mainstay of the US Navy's power projection and sea lane protection capabilities. Each of these vessels carries an multi-role air wing that is larger and more powerful than many nation's complete air force. By having the resources, the experience, and the capability to build and operate ten of these vessels in class (where each vessel is surrounded by an extensive force of other surface and sub-surface combatants that make up each Carrier Strike Group (CSG), usually consisting of at least one , two to three , and one ), the United States remains the dominant sea force on earth.
The initial vessel, and namesake of the class, the USS Nimitz, CVN-68, was launched May 13, 1972 and commissioned May 3, 1975. As the first in class, with all the new features, she took some time to go through trials and get all worked up ready for commission. After that they would commission quicker, usually two or less years after launch, except the last in class, which was a transitional carrier to the next new class. Since the time the Nimitz was commissioned, nine more have been built, with the latest being the USS George H.W. Bush (after the 41st President of the United states) which was launched October 9, 2006 and commissioned January 10, 2009, 27 months later.
The ten vessels in class are:
This page and the next will show pictures of each of the ten, starting from the first, the USS Nimitz, and proceeding until the last, the USS George H.W. Bush.