As the USS Nimitz approaches the end of its half-century career, the aircraft carrier made one last visit to a familiar port on Dec. 7. The Navy confirmed at the beginning of December that the ship will stop in Coronado on its way to Bremerton, Washington.
The carrier is concluding what will be its last operational cruise, one that spanned the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East before the ship began its final journey toward retirement.
The 50-year-old carrier departed Hawaii on Dec. 1 and set a course for Coronado – a place it called home for over a decade – where it deployed repeatedly during those years, including in support of the Gulf War and Operation Enduring Freedom.
The Nimitz is to make one more homeport change next year – from Bremerton to Norfolk, Virginia, where the ship is to be decommissioned, according to the Navy.
Meanwhile, another Coronado-based carrier quietly headed out to sea late last week. The USS Abraham Lincoln departed at the end of November with no public attention on an undisclosed mission, accompanied by the destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen.
The ship was commissioned at the end of 1989 where it was deployed in missions like Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2002 and humanitarian assistance like providing aid in Florida after Hurricane Irma.
It moved its homeport to North Island in 2020.
The Lincoln will ultimately take over for the Nimitz once it completes this last deployment.
Carrier activity has been under closer public scrutiny recently, especially after President Donald Trump directed the USS Gerald Ford to the Caribbean in response to escalating tensions with Venezuela, according to The Associated Press.
If you live on Coronado and have ever served on the USS Nimitz and would like to tell your story or share any photos, please email madeline@thecoronadonews.com.
