With an overall length of 1,092 ft (333 m) and a full-load displacement of over 100,000 long tons (100,000 t),[3] the Nimitz-class ships were the largest warships built and in service until USS Gerald R. Ford entered the fleet in 2017.

The angled flight decks of the carriers use a CATOBAR arrangement to operate aircraft, with steam catapults and arrestor wires for launch and recovery.

[11] The ships were designed to be improvements on previous U.S. aircraft carriers, particularly the Enterprise and Forrestal-class supercarriers, although the arrangement of the vessels is relatively similar to that of the Kitty Hawk class.

[13] The U.S. Navy has stated that the carriers could withstand three times the damage sustained by the Essex class inflicted by Japanese air attacks during World War II.

They were designed with capabilities for that role, including using nuclear power instead of oil for greater endurance and the ability to adjust their weapons systems on the basis of new intelligence and technological developments.

[21][22] This method was originally developed by Ingalls Shipbuilding and increases the rate of work because much of the fitting out does not have to be carried out within the confines of the already-finished hull.

[24] The Nimitz-class ships constructed since USS Ronald Reagan also have bulbous bows to improve speed and fuel efficiency by reducing wave-making resistance.

[6][1] Since USS Theodore Roosevelt, the carriers have been constructed with 2.5 in (64 mm) Kevlar armor over vital spaces, and earlier ships have been retrofitted with it: Nimitz in 1983–1984, Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1985 to 1987 and Carl Vinson in 1989.

[7][27] The ships' other countermeasures are four Sippican SRBOC (super rapid bloom off-board chaff) six-barrel Mk 36 decoy launchers, which deploy infrared flares and chaff to disrupt the sensors of incoming missiles; an SSTDS torpedo defense system; and an AN/SLQ-25 Nixie torpedo countermeasures system.

The carriers also use AN/SLQ-32(V) jamming systems to detect and disrupt hostile radar signals in addition to the electronic warfare capabilities of some of the aircraft on board.

As a result, the presence of a U.S. aircraft carrier in a foreign port has occasionally provoked protest from local people, for example, when Nimitz visited Chennai, India, in 2007.

At that time, the Strike Group commander Rear Admiral John Terence Blake stated, "The U.S. policy [...] is that we do not routinely deploy nuclear weapons on board Nimitz.

The pieces of the SSTDS were engineered to locate and destroy incoming torpedoes in a matter of seconds; each system included one TWS and 8 CATs.

[33][34][35] The Navy suspended work on the project in September 2018 due to poor reliability of the components; hardware, already installed on five carriers, is to be removed by 2023.

As well as the aircrew, the air wings are also made up of support personnel involved in roles including maintenance, aircraft and ordnance handling, and emergency procedures.

[39] A typical carrier air wing can include 24–36 F/A-18E or F Super Hornets as strike fighters; two squadrons of 10–12 F/A-18C Hornets, with one of these often provided by the U.S. Marine Corps (VMFA), also as strike fighters; 4–6 EA-18G Growlers for electronic warfare; 4–6 E-2C or D Hawkeyes for airborne early warning (AEW), C-2 Greyhounds used for logistics (to be replaced by MV-22 Ospreys); and a Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron of 6–8 SH-60F and HH-60H Seahawks.

The other vessels in the Strike Group provide additional capabilities, such as long-range Tomahawk missiles or the Aegis Combat System, and protect the carrier from attack.

Other improvements include upgraded flight deck ballistic protection, first installed on George Washington, and the high-strength low-alloy steel (HSLA-100) used for constructing ships starting with John C.

Bush incorporates new technologies, including improved propeller and bulbous bow designs, a reduced radar cross-section, and electronic and environmental upgrades.

[50] To lower costs, some new technologies and design features were also incorporated into USS Ronald Reagan, the previous carrier, including a redesigned island.

[52] Nimitz conducted a Freedom of Navigation exercise alongside the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal in August 1981 in the Gulf of Sidra, near Libya.

[66] In 1987, Carl Vinson participated in the first U.S. carrier deployment in the Bering Sea,[67] and Nimitz provided security during the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul.

While deployed in the Gulf War, Abraham Lincoln was diverted to the Pacific Ocean to participate alongside 22 other ships in Operation Fiery Vigil, evacuating civilians following the eruption of Mount Pinatubo on Luzon Island in the Philippines.

In 2005, Abraham Lincoln supported Operation Unified Assistance in Indonesia after the December 2004 tsunami,[76] and Harry S. Truman provided aid after Hurricane Katrina later in 2005.

The ship is placed in a dry dock, and essential maintenance is carried out, including painting the hull below the waterline and replacing electrical and mechanical components such as valves.

In addition, carriers have participated in international Maritime security operations, combating piracy in the Persian Gulf and off the coast of Somalia.

While this was not found to have directly caused the crash, the investigation's findings prompted the introduction of mandatory drug testing of all service personnel.

However, fatal aircraft crashes have occurred; in 1994, Lieutenant Kara Hultgreen, the first female F-14 Tomcat pilot, was killed while attempting to land on board Abraham Lincoln during a training exercise.

[60] Fires have also caused damage to the ships; in May 2008, while rotating through to her new homeport at Yokosuka Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan, George Washington suffered a fire that cost $70 million in repairs, injured 37 sailors and led to the ship undergoing three months of repairs at San Diego; this led to its having to miss the 2008 RIMPAC exercises and delayed the final withdrawal from service of USS Kitty Hawk.

Most of the difference in cost is attributed to the deactivation of the nuclear power plants and the safe removal of radioactive material and other contaminated equipment.