The U.S. Navy’s eldest aircraft carrier set sail out of San Diego on Wednesday for what is sure to be its final trip.
The Nimitz, which was first commissioned in 1975 and given a service lifespan of 50 years, left Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego — once its homeport for 11 years — for a regularly scheduled deployment to the Indo-Pacific region, according to a Navy social media post. The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group arrived in California after leaving Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Washington, on March 21.
“Seeing our Sailors man the rails today — with reflections from our very first deployment in 1976 — reminds us how far we’ve come, and how strong our legacy remains,” the post read.
The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group includes the aircraft carrier Nimitz, as well as the nine squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 17 and the four Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers of Destroy Squadron 9.
The Nimitz most recently completed a six-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific in June 2023, where it visited Japan and India, took part in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s Large Scale Global Exercise and provided disaster relief to Guam after Typhoon Mawar.
During its newest deployment, the strike group “will focus on protecting security, freedom, and prosperity for the United States, our allies and partners, and demonstrating the U.S. Navy’s unwavering commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” according to a Navy release.
One of the largest ships in the world, the Nimitz was first deployed on July 7, 1976, to the Mediterranean, according to a Navy website on the Nimitz.
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Two years later, the carrier was sent to the Indian Ocean after Iran took 52 U.S. hostages following an attack on the U.S. embassy in Tehran. Eventually, the carrier assisted with Operation Evening Light in an attempt to rescue those hostages, though the mission was called off after the U.S. wasn’t able to secure enough helicopters to pull off the rescue. All 52 hostages were eventually released and returned to the U.S.
The carrier provided support for Operation Desert Storm in the Arabian Gulf in 1991 and Operation Southern Watch in 1993 and 1997.
Nimitz spent 12 years at Naval Station Norfolk until 1987, when it relocated to what is now Naval Base Kitsap, Washington. Then, in 2001, the Nimitz found its newest home at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, where it set off from in 2005 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Global War on Terrorism.
In 2012, the Nimitz relocated again to another homeport in Everett, Washington, and deployed in 2013 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The Nimitz also etched its name in the annals of Navy lore when it fielded the Navy F-35 Lightning’s first carrier landing at sea.
In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nimitz embarked on a historically long 341-day deployment — the longest since the Vietnam War — and returned home in March 2021.
“Nimitz, in its 50th year of service, continues and celebrates its legacy of strengthening alliances and partnerships, demonstrating the power of teamwork and cooperation in maintaining peace and security,” the Navy release said.
The Nimitz will eventually return to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, in 2026, before it is set to be decommissioned.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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