Press Releases 2007

Chennai to Host First Ever Visit by U.S. Aircraft Carrier

June 25, 2007

New Delhi – The USS Nimitz will dock in Chennai in early July, the first ever port call in India by a United States aircraft carrier and a landmark event in U.S.-India bilateral relations.  The USS Nimitz is one of the world’s largest aircraft carriers.

The U.S. and Indian navies have conducted increasingly elaborate joint exercises on the high seas over the past several years, regularly cooperating in a bilateral and multilateral framework known as the Malabar series of joint Indo-U.S. exercises.

The USS Nimitz is a nuclear-powered multi-mission aircraft carrier that was commissioned into the U.S. Navy in 1975.  The super carrier, which reaches more than 23 stories high from the keel to the top of the mast, can carry 90 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, including the F-18 “Super Hornet”.  It has a flight deck of about 4.5 acres and accommodates over 5,000 crew members on board. 

Nuclear-powered ships have unique advantages, with an energy source that is safe and reliable. Nuclear propulsion ensures high-speed endurance for strategic and tactical flexibility, enabling ships to arrive on station with less logistics support and greater readiness than fossil-fueled ships.

The nuclear safety record of U. S. nuclear-powered warships is outstanding.  There has never been a nuclear accident in the 56-plus year history of the program. U.S. Navy nuclear-powered warships have steamed more than 135 million miles and amassed more than 5,700 reactor-years of safe operating experience.

While docked in Chennai, sailors from the USS Nimitz will volunteer in numerous good will events in the local community, such as cleaning local sites, refurbishing buildings, and interacting with different members of the community.