1970s USS
Nimitz first deployed to the
Mediterranean Sea on 7 July 1976, with
Carrier Air Wing 8 embarked in company with the nuclear-powered
cruisers and . 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 1980 film
The Final Countdown, whose story was specifically set aboard the
Nimitz. After four months on station,
Operation Evening Light was launched from
Nimitzs 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, a
Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler from
Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 2 (VMAQ-2) assigned to
Carrier Air Wing 8 (CVW-8) 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 19 other aircraft. Autopsies showed later that the pilot had had six times the normal level of the sedating antihistamine medication
brompheniramine in his blood. Despite having no connection to the accident, the media focused on the autopsy results of several members of the
Nimitzs enlisted flight deck crew who were killed, who
tested positive for
marijuana. An article by Robert Reinhold in the 17 June 1981 edition of
The New York Times reported, "Experts at the National Institute on Drug Abuse say that it would probably be impossible to establish conclusively that any of the
Nimitz crew had been smoking marijuana on the night of the crash because the test does not directly detect the component of marijuana smoke that acts on the brain. Because the metabolites may persist in the blood for many days, the test may detect marijuana that was used many days earlier, long after the effects have worn off". As a result, President
Ronald Reagan instituted a
"Zero Tolerance" drug policy across all of the U.S. armed services, which started the mandatory drug testing of all U.S. military personnel.
Nimitz deployed again to the Mediterranean on 3 August 1981. The ship, in company with , 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
Grumman F-14 Tomcats 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.
Nimitzs 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 the ship remained until August 1985. The ship returned to Norfolk on 4 October 1985.
Nimitz, again with CVW-8 embarked, departed Norfolk for the 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 de Janeiro, she proceeded south around
Cape Horn and into the
Pacific Ocean. After a brief stop in
San Diego, to offload the East Coast air wing,
Nimitz 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, then in October, 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 a
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 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 1 August 1993. in September 1997 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, the ship 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.
Nimitz also cruised the Persian Gulf in support of Southern Watch prior to returning from deployment on 20 May 1996. Between 14 and 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 an embarked air wing to project carrier-based airpower into littoral warfare. On 20 July 1997,
Nimitz and CVW-9 began a high-intensity strike campaign. When flight operations were completed four days later,
Nimitz and CVW-9 had carried out 771 strike sorties while dropping 1,337 bombs on target. CVW-9 flew 975 fixed-wing sorties during this four-day surge operation. Almost 80% of the sorties flown were strike sorties, with strike support accounting for another 10%.
F/A-18 Hornet strike fighters flew nearly 80% of the strike sorties. Of the 771 strike sorties, 727 were loaded with ordnance, while 44 were electronic support by
EA-6B Prowlers. 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 Vikings conducted recovery tanking and supplied more than one-third of the fuel passed to CVW-9 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 CVW-9 could have maintained this high-sortie operational tempo for another 12 to 24 hours before requiring equipment maintenance, with rest for the crews while ordnance and aviation fuel stocks were replenished. 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 spent the next three years undergoing a nuclear refueling and complex overhaul that ended on 25 June 2001.
2000s On 21 September 2001, after sea trials in the Virginia Capes,
Nimitz began to 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, a four-month post-shakedown maintenance availability was completed at North Island; during this time, an
advanced combat direction system was installed.
Nimitzs 11th operational deployment began on 3 March 2003. The group 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. She returned to San Diego on 5 November 2003.
Nimitz and CVW-11 were awarded the 2003 Battle "E" and
Flatley Award in early 2004. In November 2004,
Nimitz was contacted by , which was tracking reported
unidentified flying objects.
Princeton subsequently contacted two Navy F/A-18F fighters from
Nimitz, whose cockpit instrumentation recorded data and imagery that some pilots interpreted as
an object accelerating and maneuvering at extraordinary speeds. The incident was publicized in December 2017 along with details of the
Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program.
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". , India during a community relations visit in July 2007. The carrier departed North Island for her 13th deployment on 2 April 2007, to the Arabian Sea, relieving in support of OIF. The carrier 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, and then 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. Again, on 5 March 2008, a Russian bomber came within and flew above
Nimitz, and the 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, and returned to her home port of San Diego on 3 June 2008. The
Nimitz Strike Group, including CVW-11, departed the US for a scheduled Western Pacific deployment on 31 July 2009, and began to fly combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom on 21 September.
2010s In January 2010, while in the Persian Gulf, the ship was awarded the
Meritorious Unit Commendation for 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 on 6 January 2010.
Nimitz visited
Hong Kong for five days in February 2010 to allow the 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, Washington, was to be the new home port for
Nimitz. This move was expected to save the Navy $100 million. On 9 March 2012,
Nimitz arrived at her new homeport of
Naval Station Everett after spending nearly a week at sea conducting postoverhaul sea trials. of
VMM-165 lands on
Nimitz in October 2012 In March 2012,
Nimitz arrived at the new home port of Naval Station Everett in Washington after more than a year of maintenance work in Bremerton, replacing sister 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. The BBC reported that
Nimitz was located in the Persian Gulf, ready to contribute to an operation against Syria when President Obama ordered a military strike. Two days later, it reported that the carrier task group had been rerouted westwards across the Arabian Sea.
Nimitz, after eight months at sea, reportedly transited the Suez Canal on 20 October 2013, into the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility, where the Navy intended to keep her for a few weeks, conducting joint training with allied nations before returning home.
Nimitz returned to Everett on 16 December 2013. In late 2014, following the completion of work-up qualifications,
Nimitz participated in her first deployment, a two-week multinational fleet exercise involving the
Third Fleet, as well as ships from the
Royal Canadian Navy and
JMSDF. Following the conclusion of the exercise on 3 November, the first
F-35C Lightning II to land on an aircraft carrier recovered aboard
Nimitz to begin a two-week Development Testing I deployment. This had a pair of aircraft from
VX-23 undertaking carrier operations of launch, recovery, and handling aboard ship in both day and night conditions. The initial deployment was completed on 14 November 2014. In 2015,
Nimitz transferred to Bremerton to undergo a 16-month maintenance cycle. On 1 June 2017,
Nimitz left
Naval Base Kitsap for her next scheduled deployment. This deployment was against
ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Her F/A-18s played an important role in the
Battle of Tal Afar, providing precision air support for advancing Iraqi soldiers. On 1 March 2018,
Nimitz entered
dry dock at
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for 10 months of overhaul.
2020s , Guam, in June 2020 In April 2020, a
coronavirus (likely
COVID-19) was reported to have spread to
Nimitz when the first case was reported on 7 April. One sailor had received a positive result the previous week after exhibiting symptoms, and was subsequently placed in isolation and removed from the ship. On 5 July 2020, the ship was deployed in the
South China Sea along with . On 31 December, acting
Secretary of Defense Chris Miller ordered
Nimitz to return directly to her home port following a nearly 10-month deployment in the Fifth Fleet area of operation. The carrier was at the time supporting the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Somalia along with and her
amphibious ready group. On 3 January 2021, in an abrupt reversal, acting Defense Secretary Miller ordered
Nimitz to redeploy due to "Recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President Trump and other U.S. government officials." In May 2022,
Nimitz led
Carrier Strike Group 11 in the
Eastern Pacific Ocean. On 28 November 2022,
Nimitz departed
Kitsap and sailed to
San Diego to pick up the carrier strike group leadership. She left San Diego on 3 December for her Pacific deployment leading Carrier Strike Group 11 and embarking
Carrier Air Wing 17.
Nimitz logged her 350,000th arrested landing on 22 April 2023.
Nimitz returned from her deployment on 2 July 2023.
Nimitz departed for her final global deployment on 21 March 2025. After the events of
Operation Rising Lion and
Operation True Promise 3,
Nimitz and her
accompanying strike group were en route to the Middle East. On 17 June 2025 in response to the
Israel-Iran conflict,
Nimitz moved south from the South China Sea through the Singapore Strait and the Malacca Strait before entering the Indian Ocean, likely heading for the Middle East to bolster US defenses in the region. On 26 October, in separate incidents, an
MH-60R Seahawk helicopter and an
F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet operating from the aircraft carrier crashed in the South China Sea. These two incidents occurred 30 minutes apart. Both crews were safely recovered. The cause of the crashes is still unknown and under investigation.
Nimitz returned from her final deployment on 16 December 2025. On 10 March 2026, USS Nimitz departed
Naval Base Kitsap to prepare for her decommissioning at
Naval Station Norfolk in
Virginia. She is sailing from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean via
Cape Horn at the tip of South America, after which she will begin heading toward Norfolk. This journey is expected to take about two to three weeks to complete. During her final voyage, she will also take part in the upcoming
Southern Seas 2026 exercises. Though this voyage was intended to be her last, on March 14, the Navy extended her active service through March 2027, to maintain the 11-carrier mandate, while is being readied for active service. == Planned retirement ==