Brazilian government and military leaders observe an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to the “Kestrels” of Strike Fighter Squadron 137, breaking the sound barrier from the flight deck of aircraft carrier USS Nimitz during a distinguished visitor tour in the Atlantic Ocean on May 13, 2026. (Frankie M. Guage/U.S. Navy)
The USS Nimitz celebrated its 51st anniversary with the Navy while at sea in the Atlantic before pulling into the waters off Rio de Janeiro last week for joint maneuvers and a “big top” reception on the carrier’s flight deck.
A cake shaped like an aircraft carrier was served as the crew celebrated the May 3, 1975, commissioning of the ship, the first of 10 nuclear-powered Nimitz-class carriers to enter the fleet over the following two decades.
“Fifty-one years in, Nimitz’s legacy isn’t something we merely remember — it’s something we carry forward through warfighting readiness, operational excellence, and exceeding expectations in our current mission of partnership-building throughout the Americas,” said Rear Adm. Cassidy Norman, commander of Carrier Strike Group 11.
The Nimitz is the oldest carrier in the fleet.
When it arrives at its new homeport of Naval Station Norfolk, Va., it will likely be sharing docking space with the newest carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, which is scheduled to arrive in Virginia after a record-breaking deployment that included Europe, South America and the Middle East.
Brazilian and U.S. leaders cut an aircraft-carrier shaped cake during a reception held aboard USS Nimitz in the waters off Rio de Janeiro on May 8, 2026. (Frankie M. Guage/U.S. Navy)
An honor guard aboard the USS Nimitz during its visit to the waters off Rio de Janeiro on May 8, 2026. (U.S. Navy)
Since it left its former homeport of Bremerton, Wash., in early March, the Nimitz has steamed about 9,000 miles down the eastern Pacific, across the Equator, through the Strait of Magellan and past the southern tip of South America, before turning north into the western Atlantic.
Brazil’s military this week became the latest to join the Nimitz in joint exercises and visitor exchanges as part of the Southern Seas 2026 exercise. The Nimitz moved in formation with a Brazilian frigate and a diesel-powered submarine in the waters off Rio.
VIP guests watched as an F/A-18 strike fighter made a low supersonic pass, with the white vapor cone of condensation trailing the wings and nose as it broke the sound barrier. A Navy helicopter squadron showed off tight formation flying over the carrier.
Previous joint exercises on the trip included El Salvador, Panama, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.
In Rio, the ship held a dress whites “big top” party in which VIPs are hosted on the flight deck — with another large carrier-shaped cake.
The Nimitz has about 4,000 miles to go at sea before reaching Norfolk, a journey that will bring the ship across the Equator and back into the Northern Hemisphere near Belem, Brazil, then into the Caribbean for the last leg of its trip.
The Navy plans to decommission the Nimitz in March 2027. It is scheduled to be replaced by the USS John F. Kennedy, the second Ford-class carrier.
Brazilian Navy frigate Defensora steams alongside aircraft carrier USS Nimitz during a bilateral maritime engagement in the Atlantic Ocean on May 13, 2026. (Jaron Wills/U.S. Navy)
Rear Adm. Cassidy Norman, commander of Carrier Strike Group 11, speaks with guests during a reception held onboard USS Nimitz to celebrate the relationship between the United States and Brazil in the waters off Rio de Janeiro on May 8, 2026. (Kaylee Beasley/U.S. Navy)
