Crew of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz “man the rails” for arrival at Bremerton on Naval Base Kitsap, Dec. 16, 2025. (Gary Warner/Stars and Stripes)
Somewhere between Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro on May 10, the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz became the longest-serving flattop in Navy history, the service said this week.
Nimitz recently celebrated 51 years since its May 3, 1975, commissioning. The ship is in the final stages of its homeport move from Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Wash., to Naval Station Norfolk, in Virginia. During the long circumnavigation of South America, it has held joint exercises with several militaries, including Chile and Argentina. In Brazil, a “big top” reception was held on the ship’s flight deck in the waters off Rio.
“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 “Dudley” Norman, commander of Carrier Strike Group 11, which includes Nimitz.
A second milestone was passed a week later.
“USS Nimitz (CVN 68) has been in active service longer than USS Enterprise (CVN 65),” said a statement from the Naval Heritage and History Command.
Aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) arrives at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on Nov. 14, 2012. Enterprise’s return to Norfolk was the 25th and final homecoming of her 51 years of distinguished service. Enterprise was deactivated Dec. 1, 2012, ending its status as an operational carrier in the U.S. Navy. (Rafael Martie/U.S. Navy)
The retired USS Enterprise — the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier — was commissioned on Nov. 26, 1961, and deactivated on Dec. 1, 2012, ending its status as an operational carrier in the U.S. Navy. That is 51 years and five days after it was commissioned. In its final years it passed legendary carriers such as USS Kitty Hawk, USS Midway, USS Forrestal, USS Saratoga in terms of service time.
No carrier had ever served half a century before Enterprise passed the mark in 2011. On May 10, Nimitz set the new mark of 51 years and six days of operational service.
Enterprise was finally officially decommissioned — after five years spent defueling the nuclear reactors and deactivating the propulsion system — on Feb. 3, 2017, 55 years and 68 days after commissioning.
Under the Navy’s current timetable, Nimitz is scheduled to begin its retirement in March 2027, timed to coincide with the commissioning of the new carrier USS John F. Kennedy into the fleet.
Nimitz may only briefly hold the title of longest-serving aircraft carrier in Navy history, which Enterprise held between the retirement of Midway in 1992 and Nimitz passing its mark this month.
Nimitz was the first of 10 Nimitz-class carriers commissioned between 1975 and 1995. Navy plans currently call for the second-oldest carrier — USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, commissioned in 1977 — to serve into the 2030s, when it could challenge Nimitz for the title of the Navy’s longest-serving carrier in history.
The keel of the Nimitz is lowered into the shipyard dock in Norfolk on June 22, 1968. (U.S. Navy)
Senior Navy officers visit Saipan in 1944. Present are (left to right): Adm. Raymond A. Spruance, commander Fifth Fleet; Adm. Ernest J. King, chief of naval operations; Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, commander in chief Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean areas; and Army Brig. Gen. Sanderford Jarman,. The aircraft in the background is a B-24/PB4Y-1 type. (U.S. Navy)
An autographed photo of Adm. Chester Nimitz has a place of honor in the Spartanburg, S.C., home of retired Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Robert A. Henderson, a Pearl Harbor survivor. The photo is shown here in February of 2015. The inscription reads: "To Sgt. Robert A. Henderson USMC, With appreciation of efficient services to CinCPac [Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet] and with best wishes in new duty." Henderson worked on Nimitz's staff during WWII. (Ken Scar/U.S. Army)
USS Nimitz, shown here transiting the Pacific Ocean in June 2017, is the Navy’s longest-serving aircraft carrier. (Holly L. Herline/USS Nimitz)
