Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Uncategorized

The U.S. Navy’s Nimitz Aircraft Carriers: On the Brink?

ATLANTIC OCEAN (June 4, 2020) The Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transit the Atlantic Ocean, June 4, 2020, marking the first time a Ford-class and a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier have operated together underway. Gerald R. Ford is underway conducting integrated air wing operations and the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group remains at sea in the Atlantic Ocean as a certified carrier strike group force ready for tasking in order to protect the crew from the risks posed by COVID-19, following their successful deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ruben Reed/Released
200604-N-QI093-1142 ATLANTIC OCEAN (June 4, 2020) The Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transit the Atlantic Ocean, June 4, 2020, marking the first time a Ford-class and a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier have operated together underway. Gerald R. Ford is underway conducting integrated air wing operations and the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group remains at sea in the Atlantic Ocean as a certified carrier strike group force ready for tasking in order to protect the crew from the risks posed by COVID-19, following their successful deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ruben Reed/Released

With the ten-figure investment in the Ford-class carriers, the Nimitz-class, once the jewel of the US Navy, is clearly trending toward the scrapyard.

Yet the workhorse Nimitz is still a capable warship – perhaps beyond the technological or fiscal capacity of any other nation. All ten Nimitz carriers are still in service and still relevant. She is still relevant today, thanks to what were – for her time – advanced technological capabilities.

Let’s consider what makes these aircraft carriers unique.

Size

When these carriers first debuted, she was the biggest warship ever built; the Nimitz displaces over 100,000 tons; she is longer than three football fields – 317 meters, with a 40.8 meter beam, to be exact. Just the propeller, of which the Nimitz has four, has a 25-foot diameter and weighs over 30 tons. The boat is a behemoth, housing over 5,000 sailors – the Nimitz is, without exaggeration, a floating township.

Durability

According to the US Navy, the Nimitz can withstand 300 percent more damage than the World War II-era Essex-class carrier. In part, the Nimitz’s durability is the result of the airplane hangars being divided into three distinct fire bays; each bay has thick steel doors that were designed to prevent fires from spreading.

Nuclear Power

The Nimitz has two A4W nuclear reactors – each housed in separate compartments. The nuclear reactors heat water, which generates steam. The steam is then passed through the ship’s four turbines, which spins the ship’s four propeller shafts. The result is a ship that can travel at speeds beyond 30 knots – and stay at sea for over 20 years without the need to refuel.

Weapons

Built to defend herself, the Nimitz bristles with weaponry. The Nimitz carries between three and four NATO RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missile launchers – for anti-ship and anti-aircraft usage. The Nimitz also has between three and four 20mm Phalanx CIWS missile defense cannons. For self-defense, the Nimitz relies on four Sippican SRBOC (super rapid bloom off-board chaff), plus six-barrel MK36 decoy launchers, capable of firing Flare and chaff that interfere with the sensors of incoming missiles. For anti-submarine defense, the Nimitz has an SSTDS torpedo defense system and an AN-SLQ-25 Nixie torpedo countermeasures system. These carriers can also locate and interfere with enemy radar signals – with the AN/SLQ-32(V) system.

The big question is whether the Nimitz, or other US aircraft carriers, house nuclear weapons. The US has consistently maintained nuclear ambiguity (like Israel) with respect to their carrier fleet; the US has never clarified whether they have nuclear weapons on their carriers. Back in 2007, a verbal gaffe offered some insights into US Navy nuclear policy, however. Then-Rear Admiral John Terence Blade said “The US policy is that we do not routinely deploy nuclear weapons on board Nimitz.” Obviously Blade’s statement was not a denial. And obviously, the statement suggests that at one point or another, the Nimitz has carried nukes.

Aircraft

Ultimately, however, an aircraft carrier is about carrying aircraft. (Profound, I know.) And these carriers can definitely carry aircraft: between 85 and 90. And when absolutely needed, the Nimitz can be pressed to heft up to 130 F/A-18 Hornets. The result of course is that the Nimitz is entirely capable of providing the service an aircraft is designed to provide: airpower force projection.

Although Ford-class carriers are entering service – and are surely the future of the US Navy carrier fleet – the Nimitz-class is still relevant, and in many ways exceptional, boat. The Navy has debated the vessels service life; service life extensions have been considered, meaning the Cold War era carrier could serve well into the twenty first century.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Aug. 24, 2022) An F/A-18E Super Hornet attached to the “Fighting Checkmates” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 211 prepares to launch from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), Aug. 24, 2022. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. 6th Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jack Hoppe). 221227-N-DU622-1227 PHILIPPINE SEA (Dec. 27, 2022) An F/A-18F Super Hornet from the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22 prepares to launch from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz is in 7th fleet conducting routine operations. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with 35 maritime nations in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin McTaggart)

Harrison Kass is the Senior Defense Editor at 19FortyFive. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, he joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. He lives in Oregon and listens to Dokken. Follow him on Twitter @harrison_kass.

Written By

Harrison Kass is a Senior Defense Editor at 19FortyFive. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, he joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison has degrees from Lake Forest College, the University of Oregon School of Law, and New York University’s Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. He lives in Oregon and regularly listens to Dokken.

Advertisement