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Nimitz first deployed to the Mediterranean, departing 7 July 1976, in company with the cruisers ''South Carolina'' and ''California''. This was the first time in ten years that the US had deployed nuclear-powered ships in the Mediterranean. The cruise was uneventful, and Nimitz returned to Norfolk, Virginia 7 February 1977.

A second Mediterranean cruise 1977–1978 was similarly quiet, but on the third cruise, which began 10 September 1979, Nimitz was the launchpad for Operation Evening Light, the attempt to rescue the US Embassy workers being held hostage in Tehran, Iran. The mission was aborted when helicopters crashed at a rendezvous point in the Iranian desert. The ship finally returned home 26 May 1980.

In the following year, one of Nimitz's EA-6B Prowlers crash-landed on her flight deck, killing 14 crewmen and injuring 45 others.

In the Gulf of Sidra incident (1981), while conducting a freedom of navigation exercise in the Gulf of Sidra near what Libya had proclaimed as the "line of death", two aircraft (F-14As) of Nimitz's VF-41 were fired on by Libyan pilots, but they returned fire and shot down both Libyans.

In 1985, two Lebanese Shiite Muslim gunmen hijacked TWA Flight 847, carrying 153 passengers and crew, including many Americans. In response, Nimitz was ordered to the Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Lebanon, where it remained until August.

In 1987, Nimitz changed home ports to Bremerton, Washington.

During the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea the Nimitz operated off the coast of South Korea to provide security.

On October 29, 1988 Nimitz began operating in the North Arabian Sea, participating in the Operation Eastern Will.

On 25 February 1991 departed Bremerton, Washington to relieve ''Ranger'' in Operation Desert Storm, returning herself on 24 August 1991.

She deployed again to the Gulf for several months in 1993, relieving ''Kitty Hawk'' during Operation Southern Watch.

In March 1996, she was deployed to patrol the waters off Taiwan amid missile tests by the PRC in the area, becoming the first U.S. warship to pass though the Taiwan Strait since 1976.

On 1 September 1997, Nimitz began an around-the-world cruise with the destination of Newport News, for a mid-life Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) that lasted until 25 June 2001. She then changed home port to San Diego, California, arriving there on 13 November 2001.

In January 2002, Nimitz began a four-month Post-Shakedown Availability at Naval Air Station, North Island. She ended her pier-side availability in May 2002 and conducted sea trials, the first step in preparation for her overseas deployment.

In mid-April 2003, Nimitz relieved ''Abraham Lincoln'' in the Persian Gulf, launching sorties over Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Nimitz returned to San Diego on 2 November 2003 where she underwent regularly scheduled maintenance and repair.

Nimitz set sail on yet another deployment to the Persian Gulf in May 2005 and returned on 8 November 2005

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The size and power of Nimitz fascinated navy buffs when she first sailed, and that eventually translated into a 1980 movie, The Final Countdown, a what-if story featuring the Nimitz going back in time to the day before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, complete with the predictable encounters between F-14A Tomcat jets and Japanese Zeros. Even the scenes of the "Nimitz" in Pearl Harbor were fictional. At the time of filming, the carrier had never been to the Pacific. A "stand-in" was used for the scenes.

In Tom Clancy's novel The Hunt for Red October, Nimitz is one of two aircraft carriers recalled from the Southern Atlantic Ocean to reinforce ''John F. Kennedy'' and monitor the Soviet surface fleet.

In Tom Clancy's novel Red Storm Rising, Nimitz is sent to protect U.S. convoys from Soviet attack. The ship is severely damaged by Soviet AS-6 Kingfish missiles during an air raid. Listing badly, Nimitz limped into Southampton for repairs before participating in the NATO campaign to liberate Iceland

In the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1, Nimitz was destroyed by a Goa'uld attack vessel in the seventh season finale.

In the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, there's a submarine in the San Fierro harbor called Numnutz, which is a parody of the name Nimitz.

In novella Hell Island by Matthew Reilly the Nimitz was docked at the tiny island at which the story is set, almost dwarfing it by comparison. It is the setting for the first three quaters of the story.

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List of aircraft carriers

List of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy