US Navy Supercarrier Transiting The Strait Of Magellan To The Atlantic

BusinessAerospace & DefenseUS Navy Supercarrier Transiting The Strait Of Magellan To The AtlanticByPeter Suciu,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Peter Suciu covers trends in the world of aerospace and defense.Follow AuthorApr 28, 2026, 04:32pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) transits the Strait of Magellan, April 26, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Molly Guy)The United States Navy’s oldest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Nimitz (CVN-68), departed the Pacific Ocean almost certainly for the final time, after transiting the Strait of Magellan on Monday. The supercarrier is rounding South America as part of a homeport shift from Naval Base Kitsap, Bremerton, Wash., to Naval Station Norfolk, Va.The lead vessel of the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class of aircraft carriers, the largest warships built for the service until the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), CVN-68 is too large to transit the Panama Canal. It must take the long way around South America, crossing the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean via the Strait of Magellan.Atlantic HomecomingThe carrier’s arrival in the Atlantic will be akin to a homecoming, as the USS Nimitz initially operated with the U.S. Atlantic Fleet for approximately 12 years, from her commissioning in 1975 until being transferred to the Pacific Fleet in 1987. During that time, she was based in Norfolk, conducting multiple deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean before changing homeports to Bremerton and to Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego.CVN-68 returned to Norfolk for her mid-life Complex Overhaul and Refueling, which began in early 1998 and ended in June 2001. Following sea trials in the Virginia Capes, USS Nimitz transited around South America to her homeport at NAS North Island.However,...