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Arts & Culture

Carrier: Groundhog Day

A sailor aboard the "USS Nimitz." "Carrier," a 10-part series filmed aboard the USS Nimitz , is a character-driven immersion in the high-stakes world of a nuclear aircraft carrier.
Carrier Project
A sailor aboard the "USS Nimitz." "Carrier," a 10-part series filmed aboard the USS Nimitz , is a character-driven immersion in the high-stakes world of a nuclear aircraft carrier.

Airs Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV

"Carrier" is a character-driven, edge-of-your-seat, nonfiction drama and a once-in-a-lifetime total immersion in the high-stakes world of a nuclear aircraft carrier. "Carrier" follows a core group of film participants aboard the "USS Nimitz," from the admiral of the strike group to the fighter pilots to the youngest sailors, as they navigate personal conflicts around their jobs, families, faith, patriotism, love, the rites of passage and the war on terror.

Explore The Ship

Discover the history of the "USS Nimitz" and examine key areas of the carrier.

The "USS Nimitz" is 24 stories high, three football fields long and carries more than 5,000 Navy personnel and 85 military aircraft. Filmed from May to November 2005, nearly 2,000 hours of high-definition video were captured aboard the ship during a full six-month deployment to the Persian Gulf, of which three months were spent in combat in support of the ground troops. For the first time, a television series takes a raw and personal look at the Navy’s role in this controversial war.

Making of Carrier

Seven members of the documentary crew that helped bring a very intimate and revealing look at life in the Navy share their personal moments from their time aboard the "Nimitz."

"Groundhog Day"

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After two months in the Gulf, one day starts to become indistinguishable from the next. The airwing still hasn't dropped a single bomb, which is frustrating for some on board. The only relief comes from a port call in Bahrain, where some sailors relax by the pool, while others visit a mosque and learn about Muslim culture. The "Princeton," one of the escort ships in the "Nimitz" strike group, loses a man overboard; an intense search to find the lost sailor ensues.

Watch the full episode: "Groundhog Day"