San Diego-Based Supercarrier May See Homeport Shift To Bremerton, Wash.

BusinessAerospace & DefenseSan Diego-Based Supercarrier May See Homeport Shift To Bremerton, Wash.ByPeter Suciu,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Peter Suciu covers trends in the world of aerospace and defense.Follow AuthorJun 05, 2026, 06:07pm EDTThe Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) sail in the Arabian Sea, Feb. 6, 2026. (Handout photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jesse Monford/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)Getty ImagesIn March, the United States Navy’s oldest active nuclear-powered supercarrier, the USS Nimitz (CVN-68), began a homeport shift from Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Wash., to Naval Station Norfolk, Va., in advance of the warship’s decommissioning next March. Current plans call for a Gerald R. Ford-class supercarrier, the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), to be homeported in Bremerton, but this week the Chief of Naval Operations suggested another U.S. Navy flattop could be based at the facility in the Pacific Northwest to better align with the increased focus on the Indo-Pacific as part of great power competition with China.The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), which is currently operating in the Arabian Sea in support of U.S. military operations in the Middle East, is based at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, could be homeported in Bremerton, Admiral Daryl Caudle said during a visit to the Naval Base Kitsap on Wednesday.“Reagan is going to stay here, and I believe that Abraham Lincoln will probably, you know, change homeport to here as well," Caudle told the Kitsap Sun during an interview. “Kennedy will be the first Ford-class aircraft carrier to be permanently stationed in this area, too.”The USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) is already homeported at Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, having arrived at the facility in August 2024 to undergo routine maintenance after spendin...