Posted on 03/11/2026 10:52:24 PM PDT by 11th_VA
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — USS Nimitz, the U.S. Navy’s oldest serving aircraft carrier, which supported military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, pulled into San Diego for the last time on Tuesday before being decommissioned this year.
USS Nimitz is considered a “supercarrier” of the U.S. Navy, the lead ship of her class and one of the largest warships in the world. It was named after Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet during World War II.
The carrier was commissioned in 1975 and was homeported on the East Coast in Norfolk, VA, before being relocated to Naval Station Bremerton (now Naval Base Kitsap) in Washington in 1987.
In 2001, Nimitz’s home port was changed to Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, before being moved back to Washington state (to Naval Station Everett in 2012 and Naval Base Kitsap again in 2015).
While homeported out of NAS North Island, it heavily supported U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan — specifically during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
According to the Navy, Nimitz and her crew supported U.S. Africa Command operations by conducting strikes against ISIS forces in Somalia. Most recently, after a nine-month deployment overseas, it sailed over 82,000 nautical miles combined and carried out 17,000 flight hours.
After more than 50 years of service, the Navy has decided to retire the historic vessel.
The ship departed Bremerton, WA, last Saturday and arrived in San Diego Bay for a brief visit to its former homeport on Tuesday.
The milestone cruise comes ahead of Nimitz’s deployment to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility as part of the U.S. 4th Fleet’s Southern Seas deployment this spring.
The Nimitz will be decommissioned in May.
As a Nimitz class I hope she’s mothballed.
>>>As a Nimitz class I hope she’s mothballed.<<<
I doubt it. The refueling of that class is good for 20 to 25 years but takes 3 years of being in dry dock. I suspect her reactor is nearly spent. Nimitz was refueled back in 2001 per google search.
The Ford class John F. Kennedy is due to be commissioned in early 2027.
CC
Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, James Farentino, Katherine Ross and the great Charles Durning all filmed one of my favorite movies on it, “The Final Countdown.” The ship was the star?
i’ll bet the toilets work.
Loved that movie, “The Final Countdown.”
I saw it twice in the theater in 1980.
About a year ago, I found a copy of that movie in mint condition at a rummage sale for about a dollar.
She was the carrier we defended on our first med cruise, i spent one night on her. Way back when...
Except that it wasn’t the Nimitz that was used, it was the Ranger. A good friend of mine was an intel officer who served on the Ranger, and he was very definite about that after seeing the movie.
I served onboard from late 80 to spring of 84. I had just flown off to a school in Norfolk when the EA6B crashed on deck. Was onboard when the two Libyan planes were shot down.
I still work for the Navy and intend on visiting her one last time before decommissioning.
My second ship, JFK, is being disassembled in Brownsville right now.
Geez I’d love to tour that ship!
That was a true story.
Bravo Zulu
I got on board a few weeks after the Libyan planes were splashed. We were anchored in Naples for quite a bit of time because 2 of the catapults had to be repaired.
I served on three ships of that class; Eisenhower CVN69, Roosevelt CVN71, and Nimitz CVN68. In that order.
To “do it” all over again, I’d go Navy instead of Army and pull for carrier duty.
“i spent one night on her. Way back when...“
How was the food?
It shows on the Comet channel every now & then.
Used it for a high school philosophy project. They almost lost a F-14 dog fighting with the Zeros.
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