Navy Quartermaster Senior Chief Benjamin Richards shifts colors on the mast of Nimitz-class aircraft USS Nimitz (CVN 68) after pulling pierside at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida, June 16, 2026.
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jaron Wills)
The United States oldest active nuclear-powered supercarrier, and the longest-serving aircraft carrier in American history, arrived at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, on Tuesday afternoon. It is the first stop in the United States for the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) since the warship departed San Diego in March.
“We were greeted by Rear Admiral Sardiello, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command & U.S. 4th Fleet, who came aboard to congratulate the crew on the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group’s accomplishments during Southern Seas 2026,” the official social media account of USS Nimitz announced in a post on Facebook.
Rear Adm. Sardiello was further quoted as stating, “Southern Seas 2026 was arguably the best iteration of the exercise conducted to date.”
CVN-68 completed her final overseas deployment in December and was back home in Naval Base Kitsap, Wash., just before Christmas, and she will now arrive at her new homeport at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., in advance of the Fourth of July, marking an end to a very historic career that has spanned more than 51 years.
According to WTKR.com, USS Nimitz is now expected to arrive in Norfolk on June 25, and will “help celebrate America’s 250th birthday.”
Retirement Reprieve
As of last month, USS Nimitz became the longest-serving U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, surpassing the active service of the Navy’s first nuclear-powered flattop, the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), which was commissioned on Nov. 26, 1961, and deactivated on Dec. 1, 2012.
Plans had called for CVN-68 to be decommissioned this spring.
However, delays with the second Gerald R. Ford-class supercarrier, the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), required that USS Nimitz remain on the U.S. Navy rolls as Congress requires the service to maintain at least 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in the active fleet.
Although it is unlikely she will head out to sea again, the oldest carrier will remain officially active until next March when CVN-79 is handed over to the U.S. Navy.
After the U.S. Navy’s formal decommissioning ceremony, crews will offload equipment, munitions, and all remaining aviation assets.
The then-decommissioned warship will move to Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va., for defueling of its two A4W nuclear reactors. Removing the spent fuel for secure storage and reprocessing could take approximately 30 months. After that point, the carrier will be inactivated and its systems shut down, allowing the removal of all hazardous materials. The hull will then be prepared for towing.
Completing The Final Journey
USS Nimitz had spent the majority of the past five decades in service as the “Pacific Northwest’s Carrier,” and in March, she departed from Naval Base Kitsap, beginning a homeport shift to Naval Station Norfolk.
As the carrier is too large to transit the Panama Canal, she took the long way around South America, crossing from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean via the Strait of Magellan.
Bahamas government and military leaders pose for a photo alongside Nimitz Carrier Strike Group leadership as an E/A-18G Growler, attached to the “Cougars” of Electronic Attack Squadron 139, lands behind them on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during a distinguished visitor tour in the Atlantic Ocean, June 14, 2026.
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jaron Wills)
The lengthy journey has been a farewell/goodwill tour for the supercarrier. During that time, she has made numerous port visits and conducted joint operations with the maritime forces of U.S. allies and partners in Latin America. In addition, CVN-68 has hosted numerous officials and foreign leaders.
That included the Bahamas government and military leaders on Sunday while the carrier was underway in the Atlantic Ocean. The visit was likely the final time USS Nimitz will host any foreign dignitaries while at sea.
Commissioned in May 1976, CVN-68 was regularly deployed worldwide, seeing service in multiple conflicts including in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, as well as making countless diplomatic visits.
The United States Navy hasn’t announced how long USS Nimitz will remain in Mayport before she begins the final stage of her underway to Norfolk.