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The '''Nimitz''-class' supercarriers are a line of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in service with the US Navy, and are the largest capital ships in the world. These ships are numbered with consecutive hull numbers starting with CVN 68. The letters "CVN" denote the type of ship: CV is the hull classification symbol for Aircraft Carriers, and N to indicate nuclear-powered propulsion. The number after the "CVN" means that this is the 68th "CV", or aircraft carrier.
''Nimitz'' (CVN-68), the lead ship of the class, was commissioned in 1975. As of 2006, ''George H. W. Bush'' (CVN-77), the tenth and last of the class, was built by Northrop Grumman Newport News and will enter service in 2008. ''Bush'' will be the first transition ship to the Ford class, the first ship of which is to start construction in 2007 and will incorporate new technologies including a new multi-function radar system, volume search radar and open architecture information network, and a significantly reduced crew requirement. To lower costs some new technologies were incorporated into ''Ronald Reagan'', though not nearly as many as will be involved with ''Bush''.
Because of construction differences between the first three ships (''Nimitz'', ''Eisenhower'' and ''Vinson'') and the latter seven (from ''Theodore Roosevelt'' on), the latter ships are sometimes called ''Theodore Roosevelt''-class aircraft carriers, though the U.S. Navy considers them to all be in one class.((cn)) As the older ships come in for Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH), they are upgraded to the standards of the latest ships.
By tonnage, ''Nimitz'' class are by far the largest class of carriers ever built, holding the world record for displacement of any naval war vessel. When ''Bush'' is completed, the ten ships of the class will total just under a million tons combined displacement. Although the ''Nimitz'' class ships are the heaviest ships in the US fleet they are not the longest ships in the fleet, as that honor belongs to the carrier ''Enterprise''.
''Nimitz'' was the first to undergo her initial refueling during a 33-month RCOH at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia, in 1998. ''Dwight D. Eisenhower'' was next, completing RCOH in 2005. ''Carl Vinson'' began RCOH in late 2005. USS ''Abraham Lincoln'' entered dry dock at PSNS on September 8, 2006, leaving ahead of schedule on December 18.

Contents

General characteristics

See also

General characteristics

★ Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding Company, Newport News, Virginia

★ Power Plant: Two A4W reactors, four shafts

★ Length: 333 m (1092 ft) overall

★ Flight Deck Width: 76.8 - 78.4 m (252 - 257 ft 5in)

★ Beam: 41 m (134 ft)

★ Displacement: 98,235 - 104,112 tons full load

★ Speed: 30+ knots (56+ km/h)

★ Aircraft: 85 (current wings are closer to 64, including 48 tactical and 16 support aircraft)

★
★ Intended to operate aircraft currently including the F/A-18 Hornet, EA-6B Prowler, E-2 Hawkeye, C-2 Greyhound, SH/HH-60 Seahawk, and S-3 Viking for many missions including self defense, land attack and maritime strike.

★ Cost: about US$4.5 billion each

★ Average Annual Operating Cost: US$160 million

★ Service Life: 50+ years

★ Crew: Ship's Company: 3,200 — Air Wing: 2,480

★ Armament:

★
★ NATO Sea Sparrow launchers: three or four (depending on modification)

★
★ 20 mm Phalanx CIWS mounts: Three on ''Nimitz'' and ''Eisenhower'' and four on ''Vinson'' and later ships of the class, except ''Roosevelt'' and ''Washington'' which have three. (USS Ronald Reagan has none, initially outfitted with Rolling Airframe Missle system during construction)

★
★ RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile: Two on ''Nimitz'', ''Washington'' and ''Reagan'', will be retrofitted to other ships as they return for RCOH.

★ Date Deployed: May 3, 1975 (''Nimitz'')
== Ships in class^[1]

References ==
GlobalSecurity article on Nimitz Class carriers
1. U.S. Navy: Carriers: List of Carriers

See also

★ List of aircraft carriers

★ List of naval ship classes in service