USS Nimitz (CVN-68) 1981-82 Cruise Sweatshirt

USS Nimitz (CVN-68) conducted her 1981-82 cruise during a particularly significant moment in Cold War naval history. On August 19, 1981, while operating in the Gulf of Sidra during a Freedom of Navigation exercise, two F-14 Tomcats from Nimitz's embarked VF-41 Black Aces engaged two Libyan Su-22 Fitters that fired on them. The F-14s shot down both Libyan aircraft in what became one of the most widely covered aerial engagements since Vietnam. The incident reaffirmed the right of U.S. forces to operate in international waters and the superiority of American naval aviation. This sweatshirt commemorates Nimitz's 1981-82 cruise and the Sailors and aviators who served during this historic deployment.