Key Points and Summary – Since October 2023, U.S. carrier strike groups have surged to the Middle East, straining a fleet where even icons like USS Nimitz (launched 1972) show age.
-Nuclear aircraft carriers typically serve 50 years, anchored by a single mid-life Refueling and Complex Overhaul; beyond that, systems obsolescence, supplier loss, and skyrocketing upgrade costs compound saltwater wear.
The Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and the Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour (CVH 550) transit the Atlantic Ocean March 20, 2021, marking the first time a Ford-class and Italian carrier have operated together underway. As part of the Italian Navy’s Ready for Operations (RFO) campaign for its flagship, Cavour is conducting sea trials in coordination with the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office’s Patuxent River Integrated Test Force to obtain official certification to safely operate the F-35B. Gerald R. Ford is conducting integrated carrier strike group operations during independent steaming event 17 as part of her post-delivery test and trials phase of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Riley McDowell)
-Cosmetic rust is the headline, but the real limits are electrical loads, legacy gear, and maintenance windows that collide with global demand.
-The Navy prefers fielding newer Ford-class ships over pushing old hulls past design life—because keeping supercarriers credible isn’t about paint; it’s about physics and logistics.
USS Nimitz’s Last Rodeo: Why U.S. Carriers Tap Out Around 50 Years
Back in June, USNI News reported that the USS Nimitz (CVN-68), which was heading to the U.S. Central Command area, would be the fifth U.S. carrier to head to the Middle East since 2023. According to that report, the pace of these deployments was putting pressure on the U.S. fleet.
Carrier strike groups have been highly active in the Middle East since the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. Their deployment has involved strikes on the Houthis and included the U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear sites in June—although that attack was undertaken by B-2 bombers launched from the United States, and not from carriers.
“While the bulk of the burden has been on East Coast carriers, more West Coast carriers have been tasked from the Pacific to take on not only the Houthi threat but also to provide deterrence against other threats in the region. This has pulled carriers from other tasking in the Pacific, U.S. officials have said,” USNI News reported.
With these carriers deployed for longer than usual, the question arises of how long carriers typically last in service.
Amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) and aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) perform expeditionary strike force (ESF) operations, Feb. 15, 2023 in the South China Sea. Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (NIMCSG) and amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) with embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit are conducting joint ESF operations, representing unique high-end war fighting capabilities, maritime superiority, and power projection, demonstrating the U.S. commitment to our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kendra Helmbrecht)
Length of Service
According to Slashgear, the U.S.Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carriers typically last about 50 years.
“The service lifespan of American carriers revolves around their refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH), which is done only once midway through their more than 50-year service,” Slashgear explained. “Conventional carriers, on the other hand, undergo aperiodic refits, overhauls, and modernizations as needed by the service that sails them. These often result in an extension of use, making it possible for diesel aircraft carriers to serve for nearly as long as the nuclear-powered variety.”
The diesel-powered USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), commissioned in September 1968, was decommissioned in August 2007, giving it a life of 39 years.
But nuclear-powered ships last longer, as noted by Slashgear.
“When the U.S. Navy commissions a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the vessel is expected to serve for 50 years. While it’s possible to extend this, the Navy prefers to build newer, more modern ships, which is something it’s been doing since the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-68) was commissioned in 2017.”
A Rusty Carrier
As reported earlier this year by The National Interest, the Nimitz has a rust problem. The carrier was launched in 1972, which makes it more than 50 years old.
“Passing through the choppy waters of Puget Sound, Washington, lined with trees, many could not help but to notice the sad state that this once iconic aircraft carrier has found itself in. The ship had visible lines of rust. It looked less like a ship of the line and more like a bucket of bolts,” the story said of the Nimitz. But rather than retirement, the carrier was headed out for deployment at the time—to the Middle East, as it turned out.
The U.S. Navy aircraft carriers USS Nimitz (CVN-68), USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) underway in the Western Pacific on 12 November 2017. The strike groups were underway and conducting operations in international waters as part of a three-carrier strike force exercise. This was the first time since August 2007 that three U.S. Navy carriers operated together. In 2007, USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) participated in exercise “Valiant Shield”.
“The Navy’s frugality might be forgivable in the case of the Nimitz. Its trip to the Indo-Pacific, after all, is likely to be its last, and it makes little sense to conduct non-essential cosmetic repairs on a ship shortly destined for the scrap-heap,” the piece explained.
“But it isn’t only the soon-to-be-decommissioned Nimitz that is a rust-covered bucket of bolts. There are significant issues with the entire fleet of US Navy aircraft carriers—even the newest, expensive Ford-class carriers that are slated to replace the aging Nimitz class.”
So why can’t carriers last longer than 50 or so years? A new report looks at that question.
Outlasting Their Life?
According to an Aviation Geek Club report published this week, while aircraft carriers are important, they cannot last forever.
“Aircraft carriers are the centerpiece of America’s Naval forces – the most adaptable and survivable airfields in the world,” Aviation Geek Club wrote. “On any given day, Sailors aboard an aircraft carrier and its air wing come to the fight trained and equipped across a full range of missions. They are ready to control the sea, conduct strikes, and maneuver across the electromagnetic spectrum and cyberspace. No other naval force fields a commensurate range and depth of combat capabilities.”
However, eventually the carriers reach the end of their journey.
Andy Burns, a former U.S. Navy surface warfare and naval flight officer, was asked about the life of aircraft carriers on Quora.
“I served aboard two carriers on their last deployments, Enterprise being one of them, and those boats were worn out and past ready to be put to pasture,” Burns said. “Enterprise was not ‘up to date’ by the time she was decommed. And their robustness and cost are the reason they’re kept around as long as they are. Sailing thousands of miles of saltwater while flinging planes off the roof is a hard life. Fifty years – the programmed life of a CVN – is a long time to be in such service.”
It is not easy to keep systems running.
“Some components simply can’t be replaced, while others it would be cost-prohibitive and inefficient,” Burns wrote. “The electrical system, for example, the power requirements changed between the start of Big E’s construction in 1958 and her final cruise in… 2012, on a scale never imagined by her original builders. It doesn’t matter how much power you’re generating if the electrical distribution system can’t handle the increased load.”
Suppliers sometimes go out of business, or stop making the necessary parts.
“Enterprise had an elevator, for example, for the aircrew to make their way from the ready rooms below the hangar deck up to the flight deck. Sounds extravagant, but you try routinely climbing six floors’ worth of very steep stairs lugging 40 lbs of flight gear,” Burns wrote. “Which is what the crews wound up doing anyway, because the elevator was always broken. The manufacturer had gone out of business decades before and it was impossible to find spare parts.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
More Military
Russia’s Submarine Fleet Summed Up Simply in 4 Words
The Air Force Sent A-10 Warthogs to China’s Doorstep
The Air Force’s B-2 Bomber Nightmare Has Arrived
The Navy Tried for 4 Weeks to Sink Their Own Aircraft Carrier
