The USS Nimitz and USS Carl Vinson, two of the three aircraft carriers homeported in Coronado, left Naval Air Station North Island on Nov. 18 as a third flat top – the JS Kaga – also departed from San Diego Bay.
The three ships are en route to different locations. While the Nimitz is scheduled to perform readiness drills off the coast of San Diego before decommissioning in 2026, according to the San Diego Union Tribune, the JS Kaga is headed home to Japan. The Carl Vinson will swap out with the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East.
Known among its crew as “The Abe,” the USS Abraham Lincoln initially departed for the Middle East from Coronado on July 11. On Sept. 29, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder announced the carrier’s deployment was extended in response to escalating regional tensions.
Now, the Coronado-based USS Carl Vinson will replace “The Abe” as it is on its way back to San Diego.
According to the U.S. Naval Institute, the last time the U.S. left the Middle East without a carrier strike group was in June.
