Nimitz nuclear power carrier set for decommissioning by US Navy.
The US Navy has begun planning to decommission and scrap the USS Nimitz, only the second nuclear-powered carrier to go through deactivation and defueling. The process of scrapping a 100,000-ton aircraft carrier is complicated, both technically and bureaucratically. The Enterprise, the first nuclear-powered carrier, was decommissioned in 2017, but the Navy is just beginning a years-long process to safely dispose of it. The Navy has nine other Nimitz-class and one newer Ford-class carrier in service, and they will have to be scrapped eventually.