Nimitz-class aircraft carrier

Also known as Nimitz

1972 class of American aircraft carriers

Key facts

Name: Nimitz -class aircraft carrier
Builders: Newport News Shipbuilding Company
Operators: United States Navy
Preceded by: Enterprise class
Succeeded by: Gerald R. Ford class
Subclasses: Theodore Roosevelt class and Ronald Reagan class
Cost: US$1.98 billion in 1975 ($11.4 billion in 2024)
Built: 1968–2006
In service: 1975–present
In commission: 3 May 1975–present
Type: Aircraft carrier
Displacement: 100,000 to 104,600 long tons (101,600–106,300 t) full load

Article

The Nimitz class is a class of ten nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in service with the United States Navy. The lead ship of the class is named after World War II United States Pacific Fleet commander Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who was the last living U.S. Navy officer to hold the rank. With an overall length of 1,092 ft (333 m) and a full-load displacement of over 100,000 long tons (100,000 t), the Nimitz-class ships were the largest warships built and in service until USS Gerald R. Ford entered the fleet in 2017.

Instead of the gas turbines or diesel–electric systems used for propulsion on many modern warships, the carriers use two A4W nuclear pressurized water reactors. The reactors produce steam to drive steam turbines which drive four propeller shafts and can produce a maximum speed of over 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) and a maximum power of around 260,000 shaft horsepower (190 MW). As a result of nuclear power, the ships are capable of operating for over 20 years without refueling and are predicted to have a service life of over 50 years. They are categorized as nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and are numbered with consecutive hull numbers from CVN-68 to CVN-77.