Some of the helos went by way of Diego Garcia but the Nimitz picked up some H-53s in Naples before it left after the Christmas holidays. Nimitz then sailed around the Cape of Good Hope and was on station shortly after that. Nimitz was at sea for 144 days, most of it waiting for the 'go' orders for the mission. After that it sailed back around the Cape and to it's home port of Norfolk.
I was on the Nimitz for that operation.
The entire squadron of RH-53's came from HM-16, and they came through Diego Garcia