The USS Nimitz arrived in San Diego on Monday to spend a few days preparing for what the Navy says is likely to be the final deployment for the nation’s oldest aircraft carrier.
The 50-year-old carrier, which was stationed in San Diego from 2001 to 2012, is scheduled to go on patrol in the Indo-Pacific, which it has visited many times. It also has played a prominent role in the Persian Gulf region.
The nuclear-powered flat-top deployed from San Diego in 2003 to support the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2005, it returned to that region to support the war in Iraq and the global war on terrorism, according to the Navy.
Following its latest deployment, the Nimitz is scheduled to return to its home port in Bremerton, Washington. The Navy says the carrier is expected to be decommissioned next year.
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