NORFOLK, Va. — The roughly 3,000 sailors aboard the USS Nimitz arrived at Naval Station Norfolk on Thursday, concluding a four-month-long deployment as the ship moved from Washington State where it had been home-ported.
"Very excited," Adrian Lopez said as he waited at the pier at Naval Station Norfolk for his brother to get off the ship.
“This is just a really special time for me to be able to see my son come home," Manya Brookins, who was also waiting at the pier, said.
Watch: USS Nimitz set to return to Naval Station Norfolk after four-month deployment
During this deployment, the ship participated in operations with U.S. Southern Command, as well as with several America 250 events.
"During the Southern Seas 2026 deployment, Nimitz deployed in support of partnership building, homeland defense, and hemispheric security," according to a U.S. Navy news release.
When the lines were finally fired from the ship and sailors got off, there were plenty of hugs, kisses, and handshakes.
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“It’s so nice. It’s unbelievable. It’s been a long time coming," sailor Michael Gipson said.
The USS Nimitz, the Navy’s longest-serving aircraft carrier, has been in service for nearly 50 years. As of Thursday, the ship was expected to be decommissioned in 2027 when the future USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier, which was being built at Newport News Shipbuilding, was expected to go into service.
That will mean new assignments for the sailors on the Nimitz and for the rest of the ship's strike group.
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“For the next year or so, with the current schedule, I expect the USS Nimitz to effectively be the training platform for the United States Navy, training not just the newest naval aviators but other sailors across the Navy," USS Nimitz Commanding Officer Capt. Joseph Furco said.
First, though, sailors and their families planned to make the most of the assignment in Norfolk.
“We’re going to go enjoy some good food at his new house and just watch the World Cup," Lopez said.
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For Brookins son, coming to Norfolk means getting to spend some time with his own son.
“He’s going to be running to his dad as soon as he sees him," Brookins said.
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