USS Nimitz Records 350,000th Arrested Landing

USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the oldest-serving U.S commissioned aircraft carrier in the world, successfully completed its 350,000th arrested aircraft landing recently while sailing in the South China Sea, a milestone nearly 48 years in the making.

Nimitz’s first arrested landing was conducted in 1975, the same year of the ship’s commissioning. Since commissioning, Nimitz has sailed 30 deployments and served in countless operations and missions. It serves as the flagship of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (NIMCSG) which is currently on a regularly-scheduled deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.

Nimitz is the first active U.S. Navy carrier in the fleet to reach this milestone. USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) has the next highest total of arrested landings at 326,600.

Captain Craig Sicola, commanding officer of Nimitz, and Cmdr. Luke Edwards, commanding officer of the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22, piloted the landing in an F/A-18F Super Hornet from VFA-22 on the morning of April 22.

“I am honored and humbled to land this historic milestone for our ship. I dedicate this landing to the countless naval aviators who have flown before me, and it is a privilege to further the proud tradition of service that this distinguished aircraft carrier embodies,” Sicola said. “To the shipyard maintenance teams who put in countless hours to prepare this warship for sea, to the thousands of dedicated Sailors on board who sacrifice for their country, and to the families back home who support us along the way ‘teamwork is a tradition’ on Nimitz and we could not have accomplished this mission without the steadfast commitment to this historic ship.”