Carrier

- Season 1

(2008)

Five-thousand sailors and Marines bid farewell to their loved ones before the mammoth USS Nimitz pulls out of California.

An aircraft carrier is a perilous environment.

The ship's location and itinerary are classified. Details of how the nuclear reactor works are top secret. Many aspects of life on a nuclear aircraft carrier are hush-hush. Dating and sex aboard ship are strictly forbidden, but according to one sailor, with 5,000 people on board, relationships are "inevitable," resulting in a "don't ask, don't tell" policy that applies to relationships as well as sexual orientation. When the Nimitz pulls into Hong Kong for a four-day port call, a scandal dramatically alters the lives of two sailors. As the ship departs, the crew ...

Deployment is stressful for everyone aboard, and there can be friction between enlisted personnel and their superiors.

The Nimitz arrives in the Gulf and conditions are extreme.

After two months in the Gulf, one day starts to become indistinguishable from the next.

The last day in the Gulf before the Nimitz heads home.

Explores expressions of faith, such as Christian and Wiccan on the ship.

Looks at the burden of spending six months away from friends and family.

As the Nimitz makes its final transit from Hawaii to California, the sailors and Marines on board prepare to return to their homes and families. For those still on board, the "Tiger Cruise" provides a buffer, but there's no such transition for those who fly home early from Hawaii. As the Nimitz returns to her home port of San Diego, sailors and Marines reflect on the deployment and take stock of what they've achieved. Was the mission accomplished? There are tearful, joyful reunions at the pier.