The air wing was reassigned to the much smaller Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La in 1966, which necessitated the replacement of the F-4B Phantom II fighter with F-8D Crusaders.

During their third Mediterranean deployment and in response to the Iranian hostage crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Nimitz with CVW-8 embarked left Naples, Italy in January 1980 and sailed around the Cape of Good Hope into the Indian Ocean.

Established at "Gonzo Station," the air wing supported the Iranian hostage rescue attempt, Operation Eagle Claw, while remaining at-sea for more than 140 consecutive days.

It was during this deployment that two CVW-8 F-14s from Fighter Squadron 41 engaged and destroyed two Libyan Sukhoi Su-22 aircraft following an unprovoked air-to-air missile attack over the international waters of the Gulf of Sidra.

The prompt response and threat of contingency strike operations by USS Nimitz and CVW-8 helped coerce the Iranian-backed terrorists into releasing their hostages.

At the end of this deployment USS Nimitz team sailed around the tip of South America as the carrier changed its homeport from Norfolk, Virginia to Everett, Washington.

[1] The air wing embarked in USS Theodore Roosevelt in August 1988 for Teamwork 88, the largest multi-national exercise of the decade and operated in the North Atlantic with a port call in Wilhelmshaven, West Germany.

In four short months, intense training enabled Theodore Roosevelt and CVW-8 to deploy on 28 December to join five other U.S. Carrier Battle Groups in the largest display of sea power since World War II for Operation Desert Storm.

In December 1992, USS Theodore Roosevelt and CVW-8 operated for the very first time in Naval Aviation history as a Special Marine Air / Ground Task Force.

[1] Carrier Air Wing Eight embarked aboard Theodore Roosevelt in March 1993 and participated in Operation Provide Comfort and Deny Flight in support of NATO sanctions in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

This was followed by deployed operations to the North Atlantic while embarked in USS John F. Kennedy with port calls to Dublin, Ireland and Portsmouth, England.

[1] In January 1999 CVW-8 deployed on Theodore Roosevelt and participated in Operation Allied Force during 55 consecutive days of combat, flying 4,300 sorties, logging 10,000 flight hours and dropped 800 tons of ordnance.

CVW-8 was also the first Air Wing to expend weapons in two theaters as they headed for the Persian Gulf to support Operation Southern Watch after the war in the Balkans had ended.

During the second half of the deployment, the Air Wing flew in support of Operation Southern Watch expending over 29,000 lb of ordnance against Iraqi targets.

USS Theodore Roosevelt and CVW-8 returned from deployment in May 2003 and was chosen as the test platform for the Chief of Naval Operations Fleet Response Plan initiative.

Captain William Sizemore, Commander Carrier Air Wing Eight, landed the last F-14D Super Tomcat to participate in a combat mission when the last OIF line period concluded in February 2006.

The British carrier HMS Ark Royal, the amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima with associated units and the Brazilian Navy frigate Greenhalgh and the French submarine Améthyste also participated in the event.

[9] On 29 August 2009 Theodore Roosevelt entered Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding at Newport News, Virginia, to begin a Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) which is scheduled to last until February 2013.

[11] During this deployment, CVW-8 commander Captain Jeff Davis completed his 1,000 flight deck landing ("trap") when he flew on board the carrier George H.W.

Ford's Carrier Strike Group 12 left Naval Station Norfolk for her maiden deployment on 4 October 2022 to conduct operations and training exercises alongside NATO allies and partners throughout the Atlantic Ocean.