Back in 2008, PBS produced a documentary about the deployment of the USS Nimitz. The film crew had unfettered access to the ship (minus the nuclear reactor section)
It is a 10 part series.
All ten episodes were readily available.
Here is the list:
Unfortunately all the episodes are hard to find so I am posting some of the episodes (in no particular order) that are still available.
At the 34 minute mark you’ll see what a pitching deck on a carrier looks like and the challenges of landing on such (especially at night)
Re: USS Nimitz
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2024 4:22 am
by GrumpyPilot
Re: USS Nimitz
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2024 10:44 am
by CharlieOneSix
That is scary looking at the apprehension of the pilots in the crewroom and watching those night landings in that sea state. So much easier in similar conditions for us helicopter guys to stop and land rather than to land and stop like the fixed wing pilots.
Re: USS Nimitz
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2024 6:24 pm
by Boac
I reckon Nimitz must be by far the easiest boat to throw an aircraft at! Back in the 70s I went on board off Spithead win a group - the sea was very rough and a lot of our folk were sick on the way out to her. Got on the boarding gangway and it was like stepping onto dry land. I stood at one end of the flight deck and could see absolutely NO movement against the horizon. Quite incredible.
Re: USS Nimitz
Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2024 2:40 am
by FD2
Boac - I can imagine that. Peak to peak waves of 20 or 30 metres will have a big effect on a ship's boats but next to no effect on a ship over 330 metres long and displacing up to 100,000 tons. I suspect these swells were caused by a severe storm some way away and were lengthy enough to cause the ship to pitch so much that the night deck landings were very exciting. Didn't one of her crew say they were on their way down to Australia? Great 'rites of passage' for the pilots!