The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz returned to her homeport of Bremerton, Washington, earlier this week, thus completing her final operational deployment.
Nimitz departed Bremerton as the flagship of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group on March 21, 2025. The nine months underway included three months in the US Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility and nearly four months in US Central Command (CENTCOM).
While operating with the US Fifth fleet, Nimitz supported freedom of navigation in the Arabian Sea, completing four Strait of Hormuz transits. The strike group provided power projection for CENTCOM, setting conditions for regional stability and enabling the Iran-Israel ceasefire.
Additionally, the strike group supported US Africa Command operations by conducting strikes against ISIS targets in Somalia.
Nimitz is the world's oldest aircraft carrier still in active service, having been commissioned 50 years ago in 1975. Early next year, she will sail for the US East Coast to arrive at Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding facilities in Virginia for removal of her reactor prior to her eventual dismantling.
The lead ship of her class, Nimitz deployed around the world for many years and participated in combat action in regions such as the Middle East and Afghanistan.