Sunday, November 20, 2011

The Nimitz class Aircraft Carrier and its Fleet.

The Nimitz Aircraft carrier has been the pinnacle of Supreme Blue Water Naval power since the hay days of the mid 1970s. Even till today, it is still the main showcase of a Super Power. The United States Navy is equipped with 10 of these big titans. Of which the U.S.S Nimitz is the oldest having been serving for the past 36 years.

With no other nation being able to even maintain or build this gargantuan, it does put into perspective just how much military might does the United States wield even in conventional warfare terms.

Due to my liking for big ass military might and modern day military power, I finally constructed my first Aircraft Carrier, and it is none other than the Nimitz class Carrier.


Escorts on a close knit formation with Homeplate

Sorry to say though, it is a miniature 1/2400 GHQ Nimitz Carrier. However, my Dashland Carrier Battle Group is finally completed with this new addition. As you may noticed, the number on the Carrier Flight Deck does not tally with any of the current Nimitz Carrier in the US navy as I wanted this to be my personal Dashland Nimitz Carrier



Super Carrier, Always an incredible sight to see at Sea.

As with its predecessor carrier (The Enterprise Class), the Nimitz Class Carrier is capable of taking 90 aircraft, both fix wing and helicopter, giving it the capability of doing many types of Operations.


F/A-18F Super Hornets on Alert 15, ready for take off for BARCAP

The Nimitz Carrier's deadliest weapon is its Airwing. Aside from that, it is pretty much defensive countermeasures comprising of SLQ-25A Nixie torpedo countermeasures, Sea Sparrow Missiles and Phalanx CIWS system.


The most viable function of an Super Aircraft Carrier like the Nimitz Class is its ability to do force projection. It holds great air power and can bring the offensive to any part of the world. Furthermore, it can provide significant air support to its ground forces. Better yet, aid to the deployment of offensive ground forces on any coastal area, due to its ability to accommodate cargo such as M1A2 tanks and Ground Forces personnel.


I <3 Ships

The DSS Atlas (Nimitz Class Carrier) with an Arleigh Burke Flight I Destroyer on its right and a Ticonderoga VLS Cruiser to its left.

Like many of the US Super Carriers, Each Nimitz has its own zip code and functioning community that breathes life into the ship. Able to travel at speeds in surplus of 30 knots, the Nimitz Carrier can run on its nuclear reactors for 20 years without refueling. Since the oldest carrier is in it 36th year, this means it has already refueled and had an overhaul once.


The Nimitz Carrier and its Escort on a Cloudy Day. (Pardon the weird angle horizon)

With regards to making this miniature, it took me awhile to be able to configure it such that it looked like a present day Nimitz Class Carrier compared to a similar Carrier 10-20 years ago. This meant that I had to specifically acquire F-18 Hornets, relevant helicopters and other planes that are still present today. Some planes like the F-14 and S-3 Viking have retired and as such I had to be meticulous about what I should put on the flight deck. Furthermore, certain avionics and distinct stuff on the Carrier was not provided by GHQ which required me to use some green putty and customization to add on the several small parts.

Small as it may be, the 1/2400 GHQ Nimitz Carrier is not and easy miniature to paint, especially if you want details to be distinctly showcased.



The Nimitz Carrier has already seen a considerable amount of conflicts all over the world and has been in engagement in a few wars. The Carrier has seen new planes come in and retire over its lifespan. This Carrier has seen boys become Men. Not only that but Sons of these Men coming in to serve on the very same ship. That is how the legacy of the Nimitz Carrier has.

The best part of it all is that it will continue to remain a mainstay of the United States Navy for at least a decade more. Each Carrier being slated to serve a 50 year life span, it will take a considerably huge amount of time before all the Nimitz carriers get replaced by the new Gerald R Ford Class Carriers. Till then, the Nimitz will remain relevant and competent as it continues to keep upgrading and providing protection to its nation interests around the world.

8 comments:

  1. Great build! Love the your dashland fleet!
    I must say there is lots of great details and effort put into the model.

    As for the US Super Power Status, I guess noone can really come into contention for a long while.
    But US Military Might is indeed massive. Much as I want to say that China can put up a fight. They aren't at the same level yet.

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  2. Kind of creepy to know that some of the Captains and Pilots who served under the Nimitz Class Carrier in its early days might not even be around in the next decade.

    For its service length, it is worth its weight in gold.

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  3. Well done on the build!
    I love the meticulous details you have put on the aircrafts.

    Really really great one there!

    Love the models you do Jiaqi! Great going.

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  4. Wow! Nicely done Carrier Miniature.

    Indeed a great machine for force projection.

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  5. Awesome! Your first and third picture is amazing. Great Carrier made well.

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  6. Agree with you hiko. But some of the other background diorama are awkward.. HAHAHA.

    Nice job though!

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  7. HAhah I ran out of ideas in terms of diorama. :S

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  8. Stumbled upon this blog. Great GHQ miniatures and Great military collectibles!

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