US Navy steps towards deactivating oldest active aircraft carrier

The US Department of Defense has initiated the deactivation process for the USS Nimitz, marking a milestone as the Navy’s oldest active aircraft carrier begins its final chapter.

Huntington Ingalls Inc. has secured a $11.7m contract modification to support the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) deactivation, the first vessel in its class and the oldest active aircraft carrier in the US Navy’s fleet.

This move signals the beginning of the end for one of the US Navy’s aircraft carriers, expected to be decommissioned in 2026.

In a development for the US Navy, the US Department of Defense has awarded Huntington Ingalls Inc., based in Newport News, Virginia, a contract modification valued at $11.7m. The contract focuses on additional support for pre-advanced planning related to the defuelling and inactivation of the USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the first Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.

The USS Nimitz, commissioned in 1975, has played a part in US naval power for nearly five decades. As the Navy’s oldest active aircraft carrier, it has played a role in various military operations. The deactivation of this vessel marks a moment as it will be the first of the ten Nimitz-class carriers to be retired.

The end of the acquisition period for the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier was in 2009, as per GlobalData’s intelligence on the US defence market

HII is tackling projects for the US Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carriers. HII recently secured a $913m contract for the Refuelling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) of the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), modernising the carrier and extending its service life by several decades. This follows ongoing progress on the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), which, despite setbacks, continues its RCOH to ensure operational readiness for the future.

The initial phase of Nimitz’s deactivation will be at Huntington Ingalls’ Newport News Shipbuilding facility in Virginia, where the ship was originally constructed. The contract stipulates that this planning and preparation work will be completed by November 2024, with the actual decommissioning of the USS Nimitz expected to occur in 2026.

The Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC, is overseeing the contracting activity.

Over the course of its service, the Nimitz has been involved in various conflicts and humanitarian missions, providing a platform for naval aviation.

On July 20, 2020, the US Navy’s USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and its Carrier Strike Group conducted a passing exercise (Passex) with the Indian Navy off the coast of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

This contract is just the beginning of a multi-year effort to safely defuel, deactivate, and eventually dismantle the ship, ensuring it is done in accordance with environmental and safety regulations.

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