Editing Nimitz-class aircraft carrier (section)

===Design===
The ''Nimitz''-class aircraft carriers were ordered to supplement the aircraft carriers of the {{sclass|Midway|aircraft carrier|5}}, {{sclass|Forrestal|aircraft carrier|5}}, {{sclass|Kitty Hawk|aircraft carrier|5}} and {{sclass|Enterprise|aircraft carrier|4}}es, maintaining the strength and capability of the U.S. Navy after the older carriers were decommissioned.<ref name="CVN 21"/> The ships were designed to be improvements on previous [[List of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy|U.S. aircraft carriers]], particularly the ''[[USS Enterprise (CVN-65)|Enterprise]]'' and {{sclass|Forrestal|aircraft carrier|0}} supercarriers, although the arrangement of the vessels is relatively similar to that of the ''Kitty Hawk'' class.<ref name="Polmar 113">Polmar 2004, p. 113</ref> Among other design improvements, the two reactors on ''Nimitz''-class carriers take up less space than the eight reactors used on ''Enterprise''. Along with a more generally improved design, ''Nimitz''-class carriers can carry 90% more aviation fuel and 50% more ordnance when compared to the ''Forrestal'' class.<ref>Labayle Couhat 1980, p. 630</ref>

The U.S. Navy has stated that the carriers could withstand three times the damage sustained by the {{sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier|4}} inflicted by Japanese air attacks during [[World War II]].<ref name="SE">{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of Ships |last=Gibbons |first=Tony |year=2001 |publisher=Amber Books |location=London, United Kingdom |isbn=978-1-905704-43-9 |page=444}}</ref> The hangars on the ships are divided into three fire bays by thick steel doors that are designed to restrict the spread of fire. This addition has been present on U.S. aircraft carriers since World War II, after the fires caused by [[kamikaze]] attacks.<ref name="Fire Protection">{{cite book|title=Aircraft Carrier Flight and Hangar Deck Fire Protection: History and Current Status |last1=Darwin |first1=Robert |last2=Bowman |first2=Howard |last3=Hunstad |first3=Mary |last4=Leach |first4=William |last5=Williams |first5=Frederick |year=2005 |url=http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA432176 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202092111/http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA432176 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 December 2010 |page=10 |publisher=Defense Technical Information Center |access-date=1 July 2011}}</ref>

The first ships were designed around the time of the [[Vietnam War]], and certain aspects of the design were influenced by operations there. To a certain extent, the carrier operations in Vietnam demonstrated the need for increased capabilities of aircraft carriers over their survivability; they were used to send sorties into the war and were, therefore, less subject to attack. As a result of this experience, ''Nimitz''-class carriers were designed with larger stores of aviation fuel and larger [[Magazine (artillery)#Naval magazines|magazines]] compared to previous carriers, although this was partly a result of increased space available by the new design of the ships' propulsion systems.<ref name="Friedman p316">Friedman 1983, p. 316</ref>

A major purpose of the carriers was initially to support the U.S. military during the [[Cold War]]. 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.<ref>Jim Wilson "21st Century Carrier Force" ''[[Popular Mechanics]]'' October 1998, pp. 58–66</ref> They were initially categorized only as attack carriers, but ships have been constructed with [[Anti-submarine warfare|anti-submarine capabilities]] since {{USS|Carl Vinson|CVN-70|6}}.<ref name="ASW">{{cite web |url=http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/ARCHIVE/2003/JULY/Pages/7th_Fleet3817.aspx |title=7th Fleet Experiment Probes Navy's Near-Term Concerns |author=Sandra I. Erwin |date=July 2003 |publisher=[[National Defense Industrial Association]] |access-date=31 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202024729/http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/ARCHIVE/2003/JULY/Pages/7th_Fleet3817.aspx |archive-date=2 December 2010 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.navyleague.org/sea_power/sep_03_12.php |title=Navy Should Bolster Crisis Planning for Theater ASW |author=Patricia Kime |date=September 2003 |publisher=[[Navy League of the United States]] |access-date=31 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305125731/http://www.navyleague.org/sea_power/sep_03_12.php |archive-date=5 March 2010 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> As a result, the ships and their aircraft can participate in a wide range of operations, including sea and air blockades; [[Naval mine|mine]] laying; and missile strikes on land, air, and sea.<ref name="Cold war ship"/>

Because of a design flaw, ships of this class have inherent [[List (watercraft)|lists]] to starboard when under combat loads that exceed the capability of their list control systems. The problem appears to be especially prevalent on some of the more modern vessels. This problem has been previously rectified by using damage control voids for ballast, but a solution using solid ballast that does not affect the ship's survivability has been proposed.<ref name="list">[[Dianna Wolfson|Wolfson, Dianna]]. "[https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/33439 A Solution to the Inherent List on Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821145845/http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/33439|date=21 August 2018}}" MIT thesis 2004</ref><ref name="Navy.mil CVN"/>
<gallery class="center" widths="250px" heights="180px">
File:Artist's impression of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in 1968.jpg|An artist's impression of USS ''Nimitz'' in 1968
File:US Navy 031130-N-3653A-002 USS George Washington (CVN 73) Carrier Strike Group formation sails in the Atlantic Ocean.jpg|''George Washington'' [[Carrier Strike Group]] formation sails in the Atlantic Ocean
</gallery>