Summary and Key Points: The USS Nimitz, the oldest aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy, is set to be decommissioned in Fiscal Year 2026 after nearly 50 years of service. Launched in 1975, the Nimitz has been a cornerstone of American naval power, participating in significant operations worldwide.
-As the lead ship of its class, it symbolized cutting-edge military technology. The decommissioning process will involve the complex removal of its nuclear fuel and reactors, followed by dismantling.
-The Nimitz's legacy will be remembered for its role in projecting American air power globally, hosting iconic aircraft like the F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet.
USS Nimitz is the oldest aircraft carrier in the American fleet. After first sailing in 1975, Nimitz is nearing a half-century of venerable service. But 50 years of salt water, jet fuel, catapult launches, and port calls have taken their toll. Nimitz will be decommissioned in Fiscal Year 2026.
Nimitz had one heck of a run, though. Consider the world as it was when Nimitz first sailed. Gerald Ford was in the White House. Franco finally died, ending his dictatorship over Spain. The Vietnam War ended. Jaws was released in theaters. Kodak released the first digital camera. Saturday Night Live ran its first episode, with host George Carlin. Two nerdy kids founded Microsoft. Captain & Tennille had the biggest song of the year, “Love Will Keep Us Together.” The Americans were cooperating with the Soviets in space, with the Apollo-Soyuz project. And USS Nimitz was a cutting-edge supercarrier, the lead ship of the new Nimitz class. And while the Nimitz class still constitutes the backbone of the U.S. carrier fleet, the type is slated for replacement as the new Ford class emerges.
The Nimitz-class is one of the world’s largest warship and was designed to serve for 50-year stints. Because new Nimitz-class ships continued to arrive for decades, concluding only recently with USS George H.W. Bush, the type will be in service for decades to come.
But for the flagship, Nimitz, the end is near. Nimitz is scheduled to be deactivated at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding facility in Virginia – the very same shipyard where it was built in the 1970s.
The decommissioning of a nuclear warship is complicated. First, dismantlers will need to remove Nimitz’s nuclear fuel. The extracted fuel will be sent to the Naval Reactors Facility in Idaho, where it will be processed. Next, Nimitz’s nuclear reactor compartments will be cut out and sealed. Then, the carrier will finally be dismantled, and the reactor compartments will be removed and disposed of at a specialized site.
Measuring 1,092 feet long and displacing over 112,000 tons, Nimitz is quite large. For propulsion it relies on two Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors, which power four steam turbines and can generate 260,000 horsepower. Nimitz’s top speed is 31.5 knots.
Not bad for a boat measuring about one-fifth of a mile long. The nuclear-powered Nimitz had an unlimited distance and could operate for 20-25 years without interruption.
The main purpose of Nimitz, of course, is to project air power around the world. Accordingly, Nimitz can host 2,480 sailors and 90 fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft – most notably the mighty F-14 Tomcat, and later, the F/A-18 Hornet.
Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison 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. Harrison listens to Dokken.
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