Inside Trump's $4.5bn flagship supercarrier USS Nimitz rushing to flashpoint Middle East armed to the teeth with F-35s
The hulking $4.5billion nuclear-powered supercarrier, nicknamed Old Salt, is the flagship of the deadly Carrier Strike Group 11.
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Sun reporter Ryan Parry on board the USS Nimitz
Credit: John Chapple
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The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz is heading for the Middle East
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Sun reporter Ryan Parry below deck with a fighter jet
Credit: John Chapple
The strike group includes Carrier Air Wing Seventeen and Destroyer Squadron Nine - a potent combination of military hardware that will strike fear into Iran.
The Nimitz left the South China Sea Monday morning heading west towards the Middle East, where it will be stationed.
The move comes amid rising tensions between
Israel
and Iran and question marks over whether the West will become embroiled in the conflict.
Donald Trump has warned Iran it would experience the "full force" of the US military if it attacked US interests.
Read more on world news
And Sir Keir Starmer has sent more RAF jets to the Middle East, including Typhoons and air-to-air refuelers, as tensions mount.
The USS Nimitz will provide a major boost to US military presence in the region.
And The Sun knows first hand of the true might of this awesome 100,000 ton warship.
I spent two days on board the USS Nimitz during a training exercise.
Most read in The US Sun
The massive vessel is 1,092ft long and 252ft wide and consists of 117,000 sq ft.
The flight deck is four and a half acres and boasts four aircraft catapults to propel F/A-18 Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers and F-35C stealth strike fighters into the
sky
.
Iran launches 3rd night of strikes as Netanyahu warns war could lead to 'regime change' in Tehran
Four giant elevators bring the aircraft from the hangar in the guts of the carrier.
I stood just feet away as F-35
Lightning
II fighter jets were catapulted from the deck with an ear-splitting blast, before disappearing off the bow of the ship in a haze of
steam
.
The violent rumble of the jet engines shook my bones to the core.
A Seahawk helicopter circled nearby in case of any accidents.
The F-35C is designed for long-range stealth strike missions and is built explicitly for US Navy carrier operations.
The flight deck of the Nimitz was awash with dedicated crewmen wearing different coloured 'jerseys' whose job is to tow the aircraft into position before the pilots ready the jets for take off.
Green jerseys operate the jet blast deflectors (JBD), aircraft handlers wear yellow jerseys, blue jerseys work in the hanger bay and purple jerseys refuel the aircraft, while red jerseys handle aviation ordinance and crash and salvage.
The whole manic scene - described by those on board as a choreographed ballet - is watched over by white jerseys.
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A F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet lands on the deck of the USS Nimitz
Credit: Reuters
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Fighter jets on board the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz's flight deck
Credit: AFP
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I stood behind a yellow jacket, also known as a shooter, one of several catapult officers responsible for the safe and efficient launch of the ship's aircraft.
She threw a shooting sign to tell the jet to take off.
'Stay behind me,' she screamed as we ducked under the afterburners of a Super Hornet.
'The heat from those engines will take your skin off.'
Beneath deck is a massive floating city where 5,000 US Navy personnel carry out their duties like worker bees in a hive.
Inside the ten floor, 3,000 room
hull
, life is one slick operation.
There are several cafeterias, gyms, a Starbucks coffee shop and '
luxury
' state rooms for 'Distinguished Visitors'.
Since it is nuclear-powered, the Nimitz – call sign NMTZ - can operate for up to 20 years without refuelling.
Capable of reaching 30 knots (35mph) the ship is one of ten nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in the US Fleet.
I joined the ship off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, for a routine five-day training mission which saw the F-35C put through its paces.
The ship raised its two 60,000lb anchors and set sail from Naval Air Station North Island, in Coronado, San Diego.
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The USS Nimitz during a drill in the South China Sea in 2020
Credit: EPA
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Sun man Parry said the carrier operates like a beehive
Credit: John Chapple
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There is even a Starbucks on board
Credit: John Chapple
Walking around the vast warship you're struck by the sheer number of young faces walking the narrow corridors and stairways - the backbone of the US Navy.
The average age of sailors on board is 25 and often you'll find a teenager fresh out of high school steering the warship out of port.
During my time onboard I was also taken up to the bridge, the heart of the ship's operation, where the Captain sat on a raised chair surrounded by his team of navigators, officers and the rest of the watch team charged with keeping the ship away from hazards.
The mission of many of the Nimitz sailors will be to take off and land dozens of fighter jets, helicopters and planes, sometimes within less than 60 seconds of each other.
The crew often work 12-hour shifts, six days a week.
The busy ship goes through around 500 cans of
energy
drink Monster a day purchased from the ship's store.
The Nimitz entered service in 1975 but has undergone dozens of refurbishments and upgrades since.
It is the lead ship of her class, one of the largest warships in the world, second only to the USS Gerald R
Ford
.
The Nimitz's homeport is Naval Base Kitsap in Washington and the vessel is named for legendary fleet admiral Chester W. Nimitz (1885–1966), who helped the US defeat the Japanese Navy in World War II.
Its deployment to the Middle East will likely be its last mission as it marks 50 years of service.
The ageing warship is set to be replaced by the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier USS
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The USS Nimitz is covered in US patriotism on board
Credit: John Chapple
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On board sit special US Navy missiles
Credit: John Chapple
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19-year-old Deborah Jernigan was driving the ship when The Sun hopped on board
Credit: John Chapple
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THAILAND has warned their border conflict against Cambodia could soon "move towards war" after another deadly day of fighting. At least 16 people have died with over 140,000 Thai civilians being urgently told to evacuate their home amid terrifying F-16 airstrikes and intense bombing. Advertisement 4 Thailand's mobile artillery unit fires towards Cambodia after a terrifying second day of fighting Credit: Reuters 4 A Royal Thai Army's drone caused extensive damages on Cambodian military's arms depot, in Preah Vihear Credit: Reuters 4 Over 140,000 Thai civilians have been displaced Credit: Reuters 4 Army vehicles drive along a road in Buriram as they respond to Cambodian attacks Credit: Reuters Thailand has rained down strikes using their fighter jets in response to The long-running border dispute has also seen artillery, tanks and troops battling it out on the ground. Fears are rising over the crisis with the UN Security Council now set to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis later today over the intense fighting. The meeting comes after acting Thai Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai's said if Cambodia refuses to stop their strikes soon then they would be risking an all-out war. Advertisement read more in Thailand He told reporters in Bangkok: "We have tried to compromise as we are neighbours, but we have now instructed the Thai military to act immediately in case of urgency. "If the situation escalates, it could develop into war, though for now, it remains limited to clashes." The raging conflict started on Thursday with both sides blaming each other of stoking tensions. Thailand's military had initially accused Cambodian troops of firing at a Thai army base in an area near the ancient Ta Muen Thom Temple at around 7:30am local time. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun The religious building sits in the disputed territory in the south of Thailand's Surin province and in Cambodia's northwest. Cambodia deployed an unmanned drone in front of the temple before sending in their troops with weapons, according to Thai officials. Bangkok's version of events have been widely disputed. Cambodian officials claim Thai soldiers actually caused the first issues by arriving at the temple at around 06:30am and placing barbed wire around its nearby military base. Advertisement Thai soldiers then deployed a drone and fired shots "into the air", according to a spokesperson from Cambodia's Ministry of National Defence. Fighting soon erupted on both sides as Thailand sealed the land border amid the escalating tensions. Inside century-long Thai-Cambodian border tensions THE raging dispute between Thailand and Cambodia dates back to more than a century when their borders were first drawn up. Today, the main issue revolves around who has ownership of the Preah Vihear temple. In 2008, Cambodia tried to register the 11th Century temple located a disputed area as a Unesco World Heritage Site. But Thailand, who claim it as their own, responded violently as protests spread across the region which left around 20 dead and thousands displaced. The International Court of Justice later announced the disputed area belongs to Cambodia. Despite the ruling, fights along the border have continued to kick off. Over the years, sporadic clashes have seen soldiers and civilians ruthlessly killed on both sides. The latest tensions ramped up in May after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash. This plunged bilateral ties to their lowest point in over a decade. In the past two months, Cambodia banned imports from Thailand such as fruits and vegetables. They also stopped importing power and internet services across the border.
