The Nimitz is the first of the big carriers, you could have THREE football games on deck at the same time without overlapping. It will steam for about ten years before needing refueling.
Actually, since it is a littoral combat ship, I think the expected answer was that the Nimitz can’t. But heck, they can send a whole boatload of planes in and plaster those areas, but that isn’t what a ship like this is for.
I had the opportunity recently to go on a Oliver Hazard Perry class vessel, and it was interesting because it had been adapted to the role of littoral combat (to a degree)
I think the Navy does need vessels like these...
The Forrestal was the first of the "big carriers" and several were commissioned; Forrestal Class, Kitty Hawk Class and Enterprise Class, prior to Nimitz which was the first of the Nimitz class.
It will steam for about ten years before needing refueling.
More like 20+. Nimitz sailed for 23 years before having to be refueled. A Nimitz class boat should only require one RCOH during it's service life.
Many years ago, when the Intrepid was just commissioned as a museum, and practically nothing was on it, they did have a scale model of the Intrepid sitting on the flight deck of a scale model of the Nimitz! There was plenty of free space on the flight deck... And just standing on the flight deck of the Intrepid was an eye opening experience. That's one BIG ship, and it's dwarfed by the Nimitz!
Mark