On Saturday, February 8th, over 50 members and guests of the Post had the privilege of touring the USS Nimitz, an aircraft carrier with the designation CVN 68. The trip was arranged by Post Chaplain Rock Roth who is a retired US Navy Captain. For Rock, the tour was one of familiar surroundings and “going home”. During his career as a Naval Aviator, Rock participated in numerous cruises aboard aircraft carriers. During his last deployment, Captain Roth served as the Air Boss on the USS America. The Air Boss is responsible for the conduct of all flight operations on the ship. (This article was written before Rock’s passing).
The USS Nimitz left its home port Naval Station, Everett in late March 2013 on a deployment that covered more than 76,000 nautical miles. Its Air Wing conducted 1,374 combat sorties in support of Operation En-during Freedom. The Nimitz and her crew also participated in maritime security operations. During its de-ployment, the crew of the Nimitz made port calls in Korea, Thailand, UAE, Bahrain, and Italy. The ship has a crew of almost 3,000 men and women, and during deployments, the Air Wing brings more than 2000 addi-tional personnel aboard. After completing its Western Pacific deployment, the USS Nimitz returned to its home port on December 16, 2013. While crewmembers have the opportunity to reunite with family and friends, the ship is undergoing minor repairs.
Highlights of the tour included stops at the hangar deck, where planes are stored and repaired, the mess hall, crew quarters, and Post Office. In the ship’s island, we climbed numerous stairs to visit the ship’s bridge, the Admiral’s bridge, and the Air Boss’ bridge. The tour ended at the ship’s store, where we could purchase sou-venirs of our memorable trip.
The USS Nimitz is the lead ship in the Nimitz class of aircraft carriers and named to honor the memory of five star Admiral Chester W. Nimitz who was the Pacific Fleet Commander during WW II. The USS Nimitz was commissioned on May 3, 1975