USS Nimitz arrived in Norfolk July 9 after making its way around South America from its long-time home port in Bremerton, Washington.
Before arriving in Norfolk, USS Nimitz became the longest serving aircraft carrier in Navy history. The 51-year-old ship surpassed USS Enterprise, which left active service in 2012 after 51 years and one day. The USS Nimitz is expected to remain in service until at least March of 2027, when the future carrier John F. Kennedy is slated to come on line.
Commissioned May 2, 1975, the Nimitz spent its first 12 years in Norfolk, after being the first of 10 aircraft carriers in its class. The ship was used as a staging platform for Operation Eagle Claw, which was an aborted attempt to rescue U.S. hostages held by Iran after the Iranian revolution in 1980.
The nuclear-powered carrier was the centerpiece of the U.S. Navy in 1980, when it appeared in the movie “The Final Countdown,” starring Kirk Douglas. In the science fiction film, the USS Nimitz is flung back in time from the 1970s back to the eve of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
In the real world, the carrier left Norfolk in 1987 and spent most of its time homeported on the West Coast, between Washington and San Diego.
The Nimitz can carry a crew of nearly 6,000 sailors and Naval aviators. The ship left most of its air crew on the West Coast before leaving Bremerton, Washington, for the last time on March 7.
Since arriving in Norfolk this summer, USS Nimitz has hosted a NATO change of command ceremony and other events. It is also being used to train pilots from Naval Air Station Oceana and their maintenance crews.
WHRO Military Reporter Steve Walsh flew out to the Nimitz July 9 to document the crew as the ship arrived in Norfolk for its final change of homeport.
