Completed in 1973, the USS Nimitz was not commissioned until 1975, when she began serving the Atlantic Fleet. She was named in honor of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz as the second nuclear aircraft carrier. In 1980, she made an around-the-world cruise, participated in the Teheran crisis, and launched the 2 Tomcats that shot down Libyan SU-22s. In 1987, the Nimitz transferred coasts and picked up CVW-9 from the Pacific Fleet. She joined the Enterprise as the largest warships in the world. She is currently being overhauled to the tune of $1.2 Billion that began in May 1998 and will take 33 months.
