On her long trip to the scrapyard, the venerable aircraft carrier will sail around South America and participate in naval exercises.

The USS Nimitz, the oldest aircraft carrier in the US Navy, began its journey to Norfolk, Virginia last week. The current voyage will likely be the carrier’s final time at sea—after which it will be decommissioned from the Navy, broken up, and sold for scrap.

The Nimitz Is Taking the Scenic Route to the Scrapyard

The USS Nimitz left Naval Base Kitsap, Washington, last weekend and is heading to Naval Station Norfolk. Because it is too large to pass through the Panama Canal, the mighty warship will need to sail all the way around South America in order to reach the East Coast.

During its time in the South Atlantic, after it rounds the tip of South America, the supercarrier will take part in the Southern Seas 2026 drills. Although still fit for operations, the lead ship of the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers is not capable of expeditionary operations.

“Detailed planning is currently underway for Nimitz to visit several partner states on the ship’s circumnavigation of the continent of South America, enroute to its new homeport,” Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Peter Pagano said in a statement to USNI News.

The USS Nimitz’ Specifications

• Year Commissioned: 1975 
• Length: 1,092 ft (332.8 m) 
• Beam (Width):  252 ft (76.8 m) overall 
• Displacement: Approximately 102,000 to 106,000 tons, depending on loadout
• Engines: Two Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors and four steam turbines 
• Top Speed: 30 knots 
• Range:  Unlimited (reactor lifespan 20–25 years; completed RCOH 1998–2001)
• Armaments: Multiple systems, including Phalanx CIWS, Sea Sparrow, and Rolling Airframe Missiles; air wing of approximately 90 aircraft
• Crew: ~ 3,532 ship’s company and ~2,480 air wing 

The Nimitz Has a Long, Proud History

The Nimitz’ final cruise marks the end of more than half a century of service.  

The carrier was named after World War II Admiral Chester Nimitz, the moving force behind the Allied success against Imperial Japan in the Pacific War. Congress gave the green light for the purchase of the carrier in 1967, while the Vietnam War was in full swing. Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. designed and built the ship, and it was commissioned into the US Navy in 1975.

During the commissioning of the flattop, then-President Gerald Ford, a Navy veteran who had served in World War II, declared, “Wherever the United States Ship Nimitz shows her flag, she will be seen as we see her now—a solid symbol of United States strength, United States resolve—made in America and manned by Americans.”

The lead ship of the Nimitz-class remained true to that statement in its over 50 years of service with over a dozen months-long deployments around the world and years of combat experience. Over her lifespan, the supercarrier completed more than 8,500 sorties, 17,000 flight hours, 50 replenishments-at-sea aboard the carrier, and sailed over 82,000 nautical miles combined, or almost three-and-a-half times around the earth.  

“Nimitz has spent the majority of its five decades of service as the ‘Pacific Northwest’s Carrier,’ deploying around the world to affirm the US Navy’s commitment to forward presence, ensuring maritime security, deterring aggression, and protecting the American way of life,” the Navy wrote in a service news release.

Of course, the might of an aircraft carrier primarily comes from the aircraft it carries. And the USS Nimitz packs an impressive aerial force. The Nimitz sits at the heart of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11 and hosts Carrier Air Wing 17, consisting of nine squadrons of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, including F/A-18C/E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, E-2D Hawkeyes, C-2A Greyhounds, and MH-60R/S Sea Hawks. 

As the supercarrier slowly makes its way home, the end of an era for a great Cold War warrior nears.  

About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou  

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.

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