Description
USS Nimitz (CVN-68) although largely completed in 1973, was not commissioned until 1975 due to the late delivery of critical components for her nuclear power plant.
In 1975, Nimitz joined the Atlantic Fleet, concluding the Enterprise’s reign as the world’s largest warship.
Between 1975 and 1985, the Nimitz undertook numerous cruises in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. In the Indian Ocean, she served as the naval base for the aborted hostage rescue mission in Tehran; Operation Eagle Claw.
Early in the 1981 Mediterranean cruise, the F-14 airwing made its air combat debut when two of Nimitz’s VF-41 Tomcats shot down two Libyan Sukhoi SU-22s.
In 1987, Nimitz moved from the Atlantic Fleet to the Pacific Fleet, boarding the 9th Air Wing that was previously attached to the USS Kitty Hawk. Due to a shortage of F-14Bs, Nimitz’s two Tomcat units reverted to the F-14A in early 1992.
