USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is an American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The keel of this unit was laid down in 1968, launched in May 1972, and commissioned into the US Navy in 1975. The ship has a total length of 332.8 meters, a total width of 76.8 meters, and a full displacement of about 92,000 tons. The maximum speed does not exceed 32-33 knots. The onboard armament currently includes: two Sea Sparrow missile launchers, two RIM-116 launchers, and two 20-mm Vulcan Phalanx CIWS complexes. The aircraft carrier can take on board up to 90 aircraft of such types as, for example: F/A-18 Super Hornet, EA-18 Growler, E-2A Hawkeye or Sikorsky MH/SH-60.
USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is the lead ship of the eponymous class of aircraft carriers. Ships of this type – until the advent of the Gerald Ford class – were the largest ships in history. They were also the first class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in the history of the US Navy. From the very beginning, they were planned as the basis of the US Navy's strike force and were to work closely with other defense ships, such as destroyers, frigates and submarines. They are almost a symbol of the US Navy's dominance on the seas and world ratings. The lead ship of this class is USS Nimitz (CVN-68), which was built at the Newport News Shipyard in Newport News, Virginia. The ship failed to participate in the Vietnam War (1964/1965-1975), and the first major operation in which it took part was the unsuccessful Operation Eagle Veneer in 1980. A year later (1981), two F-14 Tomcat fighters took off from the carrier and shot down two Libyan Su-22s during a skirmish over the Gulf of Sirte. In 1985, the carrier operated in the Lebanon region. USS Nimitz also took an active part in the First Gulf War (1990–1991) and the Second Gulf War in 2003. USS Nimitz remains in active service, but is expected to be decommissioned around 2022.
