USS Nimitz ( CVN - 68 ) USS " Nimitz " ( CVN - 68 ) is a supercarrier of the United States Navy , and the lead ship of her class . One of the largest warship s in the world , she 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 . The ship was named for World War II Pacific fleet commander Chester W . Nimitz , who was the navy ’ s third fleet admiral . Unlike all of the subsequent " Nimitz " class aircraft carriers , " Nimitz " only uses her namesake ' s surname as is common for naval officers . She is also the first carrier of her class and the most recent supercarrier in service not to be named for someone who held elected office in the United States . " Nimitz " had her homeport at Naval Station Norfolk until 1987 , when she was relocated to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton , Washington . Following her Refueling and Complex Overhaul in 2001 , her homeport was changed to NAS North Island in San Diego , California . The home port of " Nimitz " was again moved to Everett , Washington , in 2012 . This move is expected to save the Navy $ 100 million . Construction . The keel of " Nimitz " was laid down 22 June 1968 by Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News , Virginia . She was christened in 1972 by Catherine Nimitz Lay , the daughter of the late Admiral Nimitz . " Nimitz " was delivered to the Navy in 1975 , and she was commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk on 3 May 1975 by President Gerald Ford . " Nimitz " Carrier Strike Group . " Nimitz " is part of Carrier Strike Group Eleven ( CSG - 11 ) with Carrier Air Wing Eleven ( CVW - 11 ) embarked , with " Nimitz " as the flagship of the battle group and the home of the commander of Destroyer Squadron 23 . Service history . 1970s . USS " Nimitz " first deployed to the Mediterranean on 7 July 1976 with Carrier Air Wing 8 embarked in company with the nuclear - powered cruiser s USS " South Carolina " and USS " California " . In November 1976 , " Nimitz " was awarded the Battle " E " from Commander , Naval Air Force U . S . Atlantic Fleet , for being the most efficient and foremost aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Fleet . The cruise was uneventful , and the carrier returned to Norfolk , Virginia on 7 February 1977 . A second uneventful Mediterranean cruise was conducted from 1 December 1977 to 20 July 1978 . The third deployment began on 10 September 1979 to the Mediterranean . The ship moved to the Indian Ocean in response to the Iran hostage crisis in which the U . S . Embassy in Tehran , Iran , was overtaken and 52 hostages were held . ( Prior to this trip , the ship took part in the shooting of the movie " The Final Countdown " and played a central role in the film . ) After four months on station , Operation Evening Light was launched from " Nimitz ' s " decks in an attempt to rescue the U . S . Embassy staff . The mission was aborted after a helicopter crashed at a refueling point in the Iranian desert . The ship returned home 26 May 1980 , having spent 144 days at sea . 1980s . On 26 May 1981 , an EA - 6B Prowler crashed on the flight deck , killing 14 crewmen and injuring 45 others . The Prowler was fuel - critical after a " bolter " ( missed approach ) , and its crash and the subsequent fire and explosions destroyed or damaged eleven other aircraft . Despite being uninvolved with the operation of the aircraft or cause of the accident , the focus turned to testing conducted during autopsies which found that several members of the flight deck crew tested positive for marijuana . Although unclear how it would have affected 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 U . S . service personnel . " Nimitz " deployed again to the Mediterranean on 3 August 1981 . The ship , in company with USS " Forrestal " , conducted a Freedom of Navigation exercise in international waters in the Gulf of Sidra near Libya on 18 and 19 August 1981 . On the morning of 19 August 1981 , two F - 14 As of VF - 41 were engaged by two Libyan Su - 22s , resulting in the two Libyan aircraft being shot down in what became known as the Gulf of Sidra incident . " Nimitz ' s " fourth deployment , from 10 November 1982 to 20 May 1983 , was to the Caribbean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea . " Nimitz " deployed for a fifth time on 8 March 1985 . On 14 June 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 she remained until August 1985 . The embarked Airwing 8 flew continuous sorties for 67 days , bombing several sites in Beirut including the runways of Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport . The ship returned to Norfolk on 4 October 1985 . " Nimitz " , again with CVW - 8 embarked , departed Norfolk for her sixth and final Mediterranean deployment on 30 December 1986 . After four months and numerous Mediterranean port visits , the carrier crossed the equator en route to Rio de Janeiro . From Rio , she proceeded south around Cape Horn and into the Pacific Ocean . After a brief stop in San Diego , to offload her East Coast air wing , she arrived at her new home port of Bremerton , Washington , on 2 July 1987 . " Nimitz " deployed to the Western Pacific with Carrier Air Wing 9 embarked on 2 September 1988 . During the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul , " Nimitz " provided security off the coast of South Korea . In October it operated in the North Arabian Sea participating in Operation Earnest Will , the protection of reflagged Kuwaiti tankers . On 30 November 1988 , while in the Arabian Sea , a 20 mm cannon accidentally fired during maintenance , striking an KA - 6 Intruder . The ensuing fire spread to six other aircraft , and two sailors were killed . " Nimitz " returned to Bremerton on 2 March 1989 . 1990s . On 25 February 1991 , " Nimitz " departed Bremerton for the Persian Gulf in relief of the USS " Ranger " in the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm , returning to Bremerton on 24 August 1991 . " Nimitz " again deployed to the Persian Gulf on 1 February 1993 , in support of Operation Southern Watch , returning on 19 August 1993 . On 27 November 1995 , " Nimitz " deployed to the Western Pacific , Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf with Carrier Air Wing Nine ( CVW - 9 ) . 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 through the Taiwan Strait since 1976 . It also cruised the Persian Gulf in support of Southern Watch prior to returning from deployment on 20 May 1996 . Between 14 – 24 July 1997 , " Nimitz " participated in Joint Task Force Exercise 97 - 2 ( JTFEX 97 - 2 ) off the coast of southern California , which also served as a " Revolution in Strike Warfare " demonstration . The latter event was designed to demonstrate the capability of an aircraft carrier and her embarked air wing to project carrier - based airpower into littoral warfare . On 20 July 1997 , " Nimitz " and Carrier Air Wing Nine began a high - intensity strike campaign . When flight operations were completed four days later , " Nimitz " and Carrier Air Wing Nine had carried out 771 strike sorties while dropping 1 , 336 bombs on target . Carrier Air Wing Nine flew 975 fixed - wing sorties during this four - day surge operation . Almost 80 percent of the sorties flown were strike sorties , with strike support accounting for another 10 percent . F / A - 18 Hornet strike fighters flew nearly 80 percent of the strike sorties . Of the 771 strike sorties , 727 were loaded with ordnance , while 44 were electronic support sorties by EA - 6B Prowler s . During this four - day period , only a portion of the medium - range interdiction strikes required tanking support . KC - 135 and KC - 130 tanker aircraft provided most of this support . S - 3 Viking s conducted recovery tanking and supplied more than one - third of the fuel passed to Carrier Air Wing Nine aircraft during this surge operation . This surge had been preceded by a 16 - hour preparation after undergoing four days that had generated about 700 fixed - winged sorties . A following study by the Center for Naval Analyses determined that " Nimitz " and Carrier Air Wing Nine could have maintained this high - sortie operational tempo for another twelve to twenty - four hours before requiring her ordnance and aviation fuel stocks to be replenished as well as equipment maintenance and rest for her crews . On 1 September 1997 , " Nimitz " began an around the world cruise , again supporting Southern Watch , which ended in Newport News , Virginia on 2 March 1998 . She next spent the next three years undergoing a nuclear Refueling and Complex Overhaul that ended on 25 June 2001 . 2000s . On 11 September 2001 , after sea trials in the Virginia Capes , " Nimitz " began her transit around South America to her new home port of NAS North Island in San Diego , California , arriving there on 13 November 2001 . Aircraft from Carrier Air Reserve Wing 20 were embarked for the transit . From January to May 2002 , it underwent a four - month post - shakedown maintenance availability at North Island ; during this time Advanced combat direction system was installed . " Nimitz ' s " eleventh operational deployment began on 3 March 2003 . It relieved in the Persian Gulf in mid - April 2003 , launching Carrier Air Wing 11 aircraft sorties over Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom ( OIF ) and Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom ( OEF ) . It returned to San Diego on 5 November 2003 . " Nimitz " and CVW - 11 were awarded the 2003 Battle " E " and Flatley Award in early 2004 . " Nimitz " , again with CVW - 11 embarked , deployed to the Persian Gulf on 7 May 2005 , returning on 8 November 2005 . This deployment marked three decades of service , and was depicted in the Emmy award winning 2008 PBS documentary series " Carrier " . In June 2006 , " Nimitz " was awarded the 2005 Battle " E " . The carrier departed North Island for her thirteenth deployment on 2 April 2007 to the Arabian Sea , relieving the in support of OIF . It anchored off Chennai , India on 2 July 2007 as part of efforts to expand bilateral defense cooperation between India and the United States . Sailors participated in community work in Chennai prior to departing , on 5 July 2007 , along with the destroyer towards the Persian Gulf . It returned to North Island on 30 September 2007 . On 24 January 2008 , " Nimitz " deployed to the Pacific for a " surge " - deployment . On 9 February 2008 , two Russian Tu - 95 ' Bear ' bombers overflew the carrier in the Western Pacific . Four F / A - 18C Hornets were launched when the bombers were away from the US ships , and intercepted the bombers south of " 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 away from the carrier . 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 " Nimitz " at an altitude of . On the same day , Russian aircraft entered Japanese airspace , which caused the Japanese to raise protest to the Russian ambassador in Tokyo . Again , on 5 March 2008 , a Russian bomber came within and flew above " Nimitz " and her battle group . Two F / A - 18 fighters intercepted the Russian aircraft and escorted it out of the area . " Nimitz " was awarded the Navy Battle " E " for battle efficiency for 2007 along with the Ney award for food service excellence . It returned to her home port of San Diego on 3 June 2008 . The " Nimitz " Strike Group , including CVW - 11 , departed the States for a scheduled Western Pacific deployment on 31 July 2009 , and began to fly combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom 21 September . 2010s . In January 2010 , while in the Persian Gulf , the ship was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation for her back - to - back deployments in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008 . The award was presented by Admiral Gary Roughead in a ceremony on the ship 6 January 2010 . " Nimitz " visited Hong Kong for five days in February 2010 to allow her crew to rest and visit the city . The visit occurred despite China previously preventing a visit by the carrier . On 9 December 2010 , the Navy formally announced that Everett was to be the new home port for " Nimitz " . On 9 March 2012 , " Nimitz " arrived at her new homeport of Naval Station Everett after spending nearly a week at sea conducting post overhaul sea trials . In March 2012 , " Nimitz " arrived at her new home port of Naval Station Everett in Washington State after more than a year of maintenance work in Bremerton , WA . She replaced the " Nimitz " - class carrier , " Abraham Lincoln " . On 3 August 2012 , " Nimitz " departed from Pearl Harbor after a two - day port call , arriving at NAS North Island on 9 August 2012 to begin Fleet Replacement Squadron Carrier qualifications . On 6 October 2012 , a MV - 22 Osprey tilt - rotor aircraft from squadron VMM - 165 landed and refuelled on board " Nimitz " . This operation was part of an evaluation of the feasibility of the MV - 22 as a potential replacement for the C - 2 Greyhound carrier onboard delivery ( COD ) cargo transport aircraft . After the 1 December 2012 inactivation of , " Nimitz " became the oldest U . S . carrier in active service ( although " Enterprise " retains the record for longest - serving ) and the oldest active combat ship of the United States Navy . According to the BBC on August 30 , 2013 , USS Nimitz was located in the Persian Gulf , ready to contribute to an operation against Syria when President Obama ordered a military strike . A Reuters report two days later said that the carrier and its task group had been re - routed westwards across the Arabian Sea . Eventual replacement . The " Nimitz " class carriers have a lifespan of approximately 50 years . " Nimitz " herself is currently scheduled to be eventually replaced around 2020 by the " Gerald R . Ford " – class aircraft carrier USS " John F . Kennedy " , CVN - 79 . The exact date of the ship ' s inactivation and decommissioning will likely depend on Defense Department funding considerations .