USS Nimitz

The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier is one of the biggest battleships ever built. The U.S. Navy has seven Nimitz-type aircraft carriers that are operational and two others that are presently under construction. Each one has been constructed by the Newport News Shipbuilding company. Work on the first carrier of the Nimitz class, the CVN 68, began in 1968. It was inaugurated on May 13, 1972, at the Norfolk base, in Virginia. It takes several years and a great deal of money to build one of these immense war ships. Each of these carriers is worth around $US 4.5 billion. Their mobility enables the U.S. to intervene swiftly in the event of crisis abroad. The strategic and pivotal role they play makes them a major target. To protect against enemy attack, Nimitz aircraft carriers are equipped with tremendous fire-power and an ultra modern electronic security system.

Your model is a reproduction of the USS Nimitz CVN 68, a carrier, which is 1,092 feet long (333 m) and 252 feet wide (77 m). It is capable of handling up to 85 warplanes and helicopters, and can accommodate a crew of nearly 6,000. Two nuclear reactors power the steam turbines that enable the 97,000 ton (98.556 metric tons) Nimitz to cruise at a speed of just over 30 knots. The bridge, control tower, radio and radar satellites are grouped together on the starboard side of the carrier to keep the 1.8-hectare (18,000 m2) angled flight deck unobstructed. Planes are stored in an enormous hangar below deck and brought up and down on one of four elevators. They are launched by four steam catapults. The carrier's runway is equipped with four arresting cables that catch a hook on the outside of the incoming aircraft to facilitate safe landings. The Nimitz is one of the jewels of the U.S. naval fleet. It has left an indelible mark on several international missions. Wherever it goes, the powerful USS Nimitz commands admiration and respect.