High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is a supercarrier in the United States Navy, the lead ship of its class. She is one of the largest warships in the world. She was laid down, launched and commissioned as CVAN-68, but was redesignated CVN-68 (nuclear-powered multimission aircraft carrier) on 30 June 1975 as part of the fleet realignment of that year.The ship was named for Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who commanded the Pacific fleet in World War II and was the Navy?s last five-star admiral. Unlike all subsequent Nimitz class carriers, Nimitz only uses its namesake's surname. Nimitz was homeported at Naval Station Norfolk until 1987, when she was relocated to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. After her second nuclear reactor refueling in 2001, Nimitz was relocated to NAS North Island, in San Diego, California.