The USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is the lead ship of her class of nuclear-powered supercarriers, commissioned in 1975 and named for Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, a WWII Pacific Fleet commander, serving as a dominant force in global power projection for nearly 50 years, participating in major conflicts like Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom, alongside numerous Cold War deployments and humanitarian missions, from the Iranian Hostage Crisis rescue attempt (Operation Evening Light) in 1980