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Navy Extends USS Nimitz Service Life to 2027, in Line with Carrier John F. Kennedy's Delivery
Navy Extends USS Nimitz Service Life to 2027, in Line with Carrier John F. Kennedy’s Delivery
Sam LaGrone
March 14, 2026 6:47 PM
USS Nimitz (CVN 68) transits Puget Sound during the ship’s final departure from Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton, Wash., March 7, 2026. US Navy photo
The Navy’s oldest aircraft carrier will remain in the fleet 10 months longer than expected, according to a Friday contract announcement from the service. ... USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is now scheduled for decommissioning in March of 2027, rather than this coming May, the service said in a statement provided to USNI News. ... “Accordingly, the U.S. Navy plans to inactivate the ship in 2027,” a Navy official told USNI News in a Saturday statement.
On Friday, the Navy issued a $96 million contract to HII Newport News Shipbuilding for advanced planning and long lead materials ahead of the inactivation of the carrier at its Virginia shipyard on March 2027. Breaking Defense first reported on the extension.
Nimitz completed what was expected to be its last full deployment in December. It’s unclear if the service plans to deploy the carrier again as a result of the extension. Nimitz finished its midlife refueling in 2001 and 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.
The news of the extra months tacked on to the carrier’s service life follows announced delays in HII’s delivery of the second Ford-class carrier, John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), to the Navy. As of February, JFK was set to deliver to the Navy in March 2027, USNI News previously reported. A 2011 law requires the Navy to maintain at least 11 operational aircraft carriers.
{snip}
Sam LaGrone
Sam LaGrone is the editor of USNI News. He has covered legislation, acquisition and operations for the Sea Services since 2009 and spent time underway with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the Canadian Navy.
Follow @samlagrone
Sam LaGrone
March 14, 2026 6:47 PM
USS Nimitz (CVN 68) transits Puget Sound during the ship’s final departure from Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton, Wash., March 7, 2026. US Navy photo
The Navy’s oldest aircraft carrier will remain in the fleet 10 months longer than expected, according to a Friday contract announcement from the service. ... USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is now scheduled for decommissioning in March of 2027, rather than this coming May, the service said in a statement provided to USNI News. ... “Accordingly, the U.S. Navy plans to inactivate the ship in 2027,” a Navy official told USNI News in a Saturday statement.
On Friday, the Navy issued a $96 million contract to HII Newport News Shipbuilding for advanced planning and long lead materials ahead of the inactivation of the carrier at its Virginia shipyard on March 2027. Breaking Defense first reported on the extension.
Nimitz completed what was expected to be its last full deployment in December. It’s unclear if the service plans to deploy the carrier again as a result of the extension. Nimitz finished its midlife refueling in 2001 and 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.
The news of the extra months tacked on to the carrier’s service life follows announced delays in HII’s delivery of the second Ford-class carrier, John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), to the Navy. As of February, JFK was set to deliver to the Navy in March 2027, USNI News previously reported. A 2011 law requires the Navy to maintain at least 11 operational aircraft carriers.
{snip}
Sam LaGrone
Sam LaGrone is the editor of USNI News. He has covered legislation, acquisition and operations for the Sea Services since 2009 and spent time underway with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the Canadian Navy.
Follow @samlagrone
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