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Concluding its final deployment after nearly nine months at sea, USS Nimitz (CVN-68) returned on Dec. 16, 2025 for what may be the last time to Bremerton, Wash., USNI News reports.
The carrier departed Dec. 7 from San Diego, having disembarked elements of the strike group and Carrier Air Wing 17.
The embarked air wing consisted of nine squadrons flying F/A-18/E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growler, E-2D Hawkeyes, C-2A Greyhounds, and MH-60R/S Sea Hawks; Squadrons are the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22, “Mighty Shrikes” of VFA-94, “Kestrels” of VFA-137, “Blue Diamonds” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 146, “Cougars” of VAQ-139, “Indians” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 6, “Bluetails” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121, “BattleCats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73, and the “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40.
The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group deployed March 26, leaving from San Diego Bay and in April, it made a port call to Guam, where a sailor assigned to the carrier strike group went missing. The Navy called off the search after five days.
After conducting drills with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in the Philippine Sea and a port call in Malaysia after operating near the Malacca Strait in May, the following month the Nimitz.
Nimitz then headed to the Philippine Sea to conduct drills with a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer. Toward the middle of May, the strike group operated near the Malacca Strait before Nimitz and one of its accompanying destroyers made a port call in Malaysia.
Then in June, the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group arrived in the Middle East where it operated alongside the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group.
Nimitz was hanging in the Arabian Sea, on the same day the US struck three Iranian nuclear sites as part of Operation Midnight Hammer.
The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group sailed through the Singapore Strait and back to the Indo-Pacific region where it stayed for the remainder of its deployment, after three months in the Middle East.
An F/A-18F Super Hornet and an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, both assigned to the carrier strike group, were lost within 30 minutes of each other while the carrier was in the South China Sea. The crews were rescued. The aircraft, which crashed on Oct. 26, were recovered in early December.
Nimitz is set to shift homeports to Naval Station Norfolk, Va., in 2026 ahead of its planned decommissioning.
For five decades, the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group has upheld the US Navy’s commitment to a forward presence while ensuring maritime security, deterring aggression, and protecting the American way of life. 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.
USS Nimitz is the lead ship of the US Navy’s Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and is named in honor of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.
USS Nimitz is a supercarrier of the US Navy, and the lead ship of her class. One of the largest warships in the world, she was laid down, launched and commissioned as CVAN 68 but was later re-designated CVN 68 (nuclear-powered multi-mission aircraft carrier) on Jun. 30, 1975 as part of the fleet realignment. Nimitz was homeported at Naval Station Norfolk until 1987, when she was relocated to Naval Station Bremerton in Washington State (now part of Naval Base Kitsap).
Aircraft carriers continue to be the centerpiece of the forces necessary for operating forward. In times of crisis, the first question leaders ask is: “Where are the carriers?”
Often the presence of an aircraft carrier has deterred potential adversaries from striking against US interests. Aircraft carriers support and operate aircraft that engage in attacks on airborne, afloat and ashore targets that threaten free use of the sea and engage in sustained power projection operations in support of US and coalition forces.
The aircraft carrier and its strike group also engage in maritime security operations to interdict threats to merchant shipping and prevent the use of the seas for terrorism and piracy. Aircraft carriers also provide unique capabilities for disaster response and humanitarian assistance. The embarked carrier air wing provides helicopters for direct support and C4I assets to support them and ensure aid is routed quickly and safely.
The Nimitz and Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers are the largest warships in the world, each designed for an approximately 50-year service life with just a single mid-life refueling.
The lead ship of the next generation of aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) was delivered in 2017 as the force structure replacement for USS Enterprise (CVN 65), which was inactivated in 2012.
Photo credit: MCSA Kelly M. Agee and Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Hannah Kantner / U.S. Navy
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