US Navy’s Oldest Supercarrier Won’t Be Decommissioned Until Next Year

The United States Navy’s oldest operational supercarrier will not be decommissioned in May as had been previously planned. However, it is unlikely the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) will be deployed again to distant waters. Instead, the aircraft carrier could be used to conduct training operations off the East Coast.

The reason for the change simply comes down to U.S. law, or at least a section of the primary statute governing the U.S. Armed Forces. Title 10 of the U.S. Code § 8062 mandates that the U.S. Navy maintain at least 11 operational aircraft carriers in its fleet.

CVN-68 Is Underway

As previously reported, USS Nimitz departed Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Wash., last week, beginning a homeport shift to Naval Station Norfolk, Va. It was the first part of a long-planned process that will see the lead vessel of the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class carriers decommissioned, followed by the start of her years-long recycling.

Advertisement
Advertisement

As the USS Nimitz is too large to transit the Panama Canal, the warship will take the long way, transiting from the Pacific to the Atlantic via Cape Horn at the tip of South America, and then heading north to Norfolk.

The 12,400-nautical-mile voyage is expected to take two to three weeks to complete, with the carrier arriving by early to mid-April.

However, the decommissioning of CVN-68 has been pushed back until next year, Breaking Defense first reported.

Maintaining 11 Carriers In The Fleet

If the U.S. Navy had gone forward with decommissioning USS Nimitz, it would only have 10 operational nuclear-powered supercarriers in its fleet. Delaying the decommissioning was the only option.

Advertisement
Advertisement

“First and foremost, the U.S. is legally required to maintain an active fleet of at least 11 aircraft carriers. The extension of the Nimitz’s life is likely to be in part to fulfill this requirement,” explained Lewis Galvin, lead Americas analyst at at private intelligence firm Sibylline.

Therefore, the decommissioning of CVN-68 was pushed back to next year due to delays in the handover of the U.S. Navy’s next nuclear-powered supercarrier, the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79). Although it was previously expected to be completed last July, the delivery has been rescheduled to March 2027.

In an email, Galvin added that USS Nimitz will remain in service until then, but the capacity in which it will remain is less clear.

“Currently, it appears as though the Nimitz is unlikely to be deployed in an active combat role. Reports indicate the vessel is scheduled to do a tour of SOUTHCOM’s area of responsibility and visit partner states,” said Galvin. “Reports also indicate that the Nimitz is likely to participate in the Southern Seas 2026 exercise with regional partners.”

Could USS Nimitz Deploy If Needed?

The age of the ship and, more importantly, its available fuel are likely the key issues the U.S. Navy must now consider. USS Nimitz completed her midlife refueling in 2001, and it may be at a point where a distant deployment simply isn’t feasible.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Operations in the Atlantic or Caribbean may be feasible, however.

“The Navy closely guards the level of nuclear fuel in its carriers. In the past, carriers waiting for midlife refueling served as training platforms for aviators and sailed in local exercises,” USNI News reported.

That could explain why the U.S. Navy is in no rush for CVN-68 to reach Naval Station Norfolk. The flattop will likely make port-of-call visits to U.S. partners in Latin America, a way to show the flag on what is likely to be the final voyage.

“If the carrier sticks with traditional deployment rotations, it could have one more deployment in early 2027. In the interim, the carrier could serve numerous roles in training and exercises for the Navy to advance concepts of operations and proficiencies,” suggested Brent Sadler, senior research fellow for Naval Warfare and Advanced Technology in the Allison Center for National Security at the Heritage Foundation.

Advertisement
Advertisement

It will still be several weeks before CVN-68 arrives in Norfolk.

The oldest operational carrier had only completed what was supposed to be her final deployment last December. Therefore, another lengthy deployment may not be in the cards, but USS Nimitz could be placed in a reserve capacity if needed.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the carrier remains on a ready status to respond to crises or to backstop diplomacy in the western hemisphere, i.e., Venezuela and Cuba,” Sadler said via an email. “This would free up the other carriers to cover more distant and long-term deployments in the Middle East and East Asia.”

That sentiment was shared by Galvin, who suggested that keeping the USS Nimitz active would give the U.S. the option to deploy another aircraft carrier in the event of an unexpected conflict elsewhere in the world.

Advertisement
Advertisement

“The U.S. Navy’s carrier fleet is particularly stretched at the moment, with only the Ford, Lincoln and Washington deploy-ready; the former is now operating beyond the usual deployment timeline and will likely be rotated out once the USS George HW Bush is ready to go,” said Galvin.

CVN-68 may not be ready to conduct major combat operations in the Middle East, but it could still fulfill its combat duties if needed in waters closer to home.

“During its journey to Norfolk, there is a realistic possibility that the Nimitz is placed in the Caribbean as force projection amid the U.S. ongoing counter-cartel operations and ahead of expected negotiations between the U.S. and Cuba,” added Galvin.

The Recycling Timeline Won’t Be Greatly Impacted

The year-long delay in decommissioning won’t likely affect the recycling timeline for CVN-68 and could give HII Newport News Shipbuilding additional time to prepare. The warship’s recycling is expected to take upwards of a decade, and the crew will be responsible for much of the early work.

Advertisement
Advertisement

“To be honest, I am sure the sailors are happy to not be entering the shipyard as quality of life and sense of mission take a huge hit when there,” said Salder.

Instead of seeing the world, the decommissioning process will involve off-loading ordnance and other equipment during the Ship Terminal Off-load Program, which is expected to take upwards of a year to complete.

“The homeport shift to Norfolk will have been a year in the planning and should be kept to a minimum and the shipyard will have already made plans for this,” added Salder. “It also gives the shipyard more time to prepare for the Nimitz’s final decommissioning, which will be the first for the class and poses new challenges for the shipyard engineers to dismantle its nuclear power plant.”

• About Our Ads