Navy's Oldest Carrier: USS Nimitz Settles in Norfolk for Final Chapter

The USS Nimitz has completed its relocation to Norfolk, Virginia, ending a 39-year stay on the West Coast. The carrier arrived in the Hampton Roads area on July 9 after sailing around South America from its previous home port in Bremerton, Washington. This move marks the final homeport change for the ship, which now serves as a training platform for pilots and maintenance crews from Naval Air Station Oceana.

The vessel recently became the longest-serving aircraft carrier in U.S. Navy history. It surpassed the record previously held by USS Enterprise, which retired in 2012 after 51 years and one day of active service. The Nimitz is scheduled to remain in the fleet until at least March 2027. At that time, the carrier John F. Kennedy is expected to enter service, allowing the older ship to transition out of active duty.

Commissioned on May 2, 1975, the Nimitz was the first of ten carriers in its class. It spent its initial 12 years homeported in Norfolk. During that period, the ship acted as a staging platform for Operation Eagle Claw in 1980. That mission was an unsuccessful attempt to rescue U.S. hostages held by Iran following the Iranian revolution.

The nuclear-powered carrier later gained cultural prominence when it starred in the 1980 film The Final Countdown. In the movie, the ship is transported back in time to the eve of the Pearl Harbor attack. In reality, the vessel left Norfolk in 1987. It then spent the next three decades homeported on the West Coast, alternating between Washington and San Diego.

The Nimitz carries a crew of nearly 6,000 sailors and naval aviators. Most of its air crew remained on the West Coast when the ship departed Bremerton on March 7. Since its arrival in Norfolk this summer, the carrier has hosted a NATO change of command ceremony and various other events. WHRO military reporter Steve Walsh flew aboard the ship on July 9 to document the crew during the arrival.