Scene on the Sound: Farewell to the USS Nimitz as it leaves for a new assignment

Ghostly in the morning fog, the Nimitz sails past Shoreline on its way to Norfolk, Virginia.
Photo by Jan Hansen

After a decade of being homeported in Bremerton, the 50 year old aircraft carrier USS Nimitz is moving to the Southern Command and will be homeported in Norfolk, Virginia.

It is the Navy’s oldest aircraft carrier and first of its kind, commissioned in 1975. Originally slated to be decommissioned, a change of plans has it assigned to the South Seas 2026 exercise.

From the beach, the Nimitz can be seen below the fog.
Photo by Barb Sullivan

Too large for the Panama Canal, the Nimitz will sail around Cape Horn, visiting several partner states on the ship’s circumnavigation of the continent of South America, en route to its new homeport,

The departure of the Nimitz leaves one carrier, USS Ronald Reagan, at Kitsap. The USS Ronald Reagan is undergoing a 17-month overhaul scheduled to end later this year.

The Navy has announced plans to homeport the future USS John F. Kennedy at Kitsap as early as 2029.

Source - Stars and Stripes. Read more here.