The US Navy has decided to delay the retirement of its oldest aircraft carrier, USS Nimitz (CVN 68), and will now keep it in service until March 2027. This will help the Navy maintain the required minimum of 11 active aircraft carriers.
The ship was earlier planned to retire in 2026, but its service has now been extended by about 10 months. This is mainly because the new carrier, USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), will not be ready until March 2027.
At the same time, the Navy has already started preparing for Nimitz’s retirement. A contract has been given to Huntington Ingalls Industries to handle planning and materials needed for the ship’s inactivation and nuclear defueling. This work is expected to finish by March 2027.
USS Nimitz left Bremerton, Washington, on March 7 for what is likely its final phase of operations. It is currently deployed under the US 4th Fleet as part of the Southern Seas 2026
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