USS Nimitz stops in Jamaica as Southern Seas 2026 exercise nears end

USS Nimitz arrived Monday at what may be the last foreign port of call for the Navy’s longest-serving aircraft carrier.

“Jamaica will serve as the final stop in a multinational goodwill deployment that has taken the carrier throughout South America and the Caribbean,” said a statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica.

The carrier is scheduled to stay in Jamaica until Friday. Barring a change of plans, it will then make the final leg of its planned voyage from Naval Base Kitsap on Washington’s Puget Sound to its new homeport at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.

Along the way, the Nimitz circumnavigated South America and transited Central America, sailing from the Pacific, through the Strait of Magellan into the Atlantic, and north to the Caribbean.

As part of the Southern Seas 2026 exercise, Nimitz took part in joint naval maneuvers and diplomatic visits involving more than a dozen nations, including Chile, Argentina and Brazil.

Nimitz was originally due to arrive in Norfolk in mid-May to begin its planned decommissioning, but its service life has been extended until at least March 2027 to align its departure from the fleet with the arrival of USS John F. Kennedy, the second Gerald R. Ford-class carrier.

Despite its official goodwill role, the arrival of the Nimitz in the Caribbean spurred speculation that its presence was meant to pressure Cuba, an idea fueled by the Trump administration’s decision to file criminal charges against former President Raúl Castro on the day the ship appeared in the region.

Castro and other Cuban officials are accused of ordering the February 1996 downing of two unarmed civilian aircraft carrying four U.S. nationals. The aircraft were affiliated with Brothers to the Rescue, a group that sought to aid Cubans fleeing to the United States.

Plans for the Nimitz’s upcoming return to the United States are still taking shape.

Lt. Cmdr. Peter Pagano, the carrier’s spokesman, said that while the ship will go to Norfolk, the air units on board will return to their bases, primarily on the West Coast.

Helicopter Maritime Squadron 73 and Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 6 will return to San Diego. Strike Fighter Squadrons 22 and 137 will go home to Naval Air Station Lemoore in California. Electronic Attack Squadron 139 will rejoin the other “Growler” squadrons at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island near Seattle. Fleet Logistics Support Squadron will have the shortest trip — it’s based in Norfolk.