Nimitz visits Jamaica, Dominican Republic as carrier nears the end of its likely final deployment

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Gridley fires a Mark 45 Mod 4 5-inch gun during a naval power demonstration in the Caribbean Sea, on June 7, 2026. (Johnathan McCune/U.S. Navy)

A blast of naval sea power, a pickup flag football game, painting an elementary school and meeting top Caribbean leaders were part of what is expected to be the last foreign port call of the 51-year-old carrier USS Nimitz.

The oldest carrier in the fleet is wrapping up the final miles of its journey from Naval Base Kitsap, in Washington, to its new homeport at Naval Station Norfolk, in Virginia.

Nimitz’s final deployment to the Southern Seas 26 exercise included joint maneuvers with several South American and Caribbean nations, including Panama, Chile, Argentina and Brazil.

Kingston, Jamaica, was the final foreign port call of the trip. While on the island, Nimitz crew members helped paint and repair an elementary school and played a pickup game of flag football with locals. A reception on board featured music and views from the flight deck. Rear Adm. Cassidy Norman, commander of Carrier Strike Group 11, and Capt. Joseph Furco, Nimitz commanding officer, hosted Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and other regional leaders.

During the weekend, Carrier Strike Group 11 was off the coast of the Dominican Republic, hosting visitors who were flown to the carrier. The group saw Nimitz launch and retrieve aircraft, and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Gridley gave a live-fire demonstration with its forward-mounted 5-inch gun.

Rear Adm. Cassidy Norman, commander of Carrier Strike Group 11; Capt. Joseph Furco, the commanding officer of USS Nimitz; Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness; Scott Renner, charge d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica; and Jamaican Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson-Smith discuss U.S. Navy aircraft carrier flight deck operations during a reception aboard in Kingston, Jamaica, June 2, 2026.  (Molly Guy/U.S. Navy)

Nimitz’s presence in the Caribbean raised speculation that it might be used to pressure Cuba. The Trump administration filed criminal charges against former President Raúl Castro on the day that Nimitz and its strike group entered the region. Castro is accused of ordering the February 1996 downing of two unarmed civilian aircraft carrying four anti-communist U.S. nationals.

Citing operational security, the Navy on Monday would not say if Nimitz will make a U.S. stop before arriving at its new homeport of Norfolk. Originally scheduled to retire this year, Nimitz will now remain with the fleet at least until March 2027.

The carrier will be the center of attention at the USS Nimitz Association annual convention in Norfolk from July 29-Aug. 1. The guest of honor will be retired Rear Adm. Bryan W. Compton, the carrier’s first captain, who served from July 12, 1972 to August 21, 1976. More than 800 veterans and Nimitz fans are expected, including about 70 “plank owners” — members of the crew from its original commissioning and deployment in May 1974. More information at ussnimitzassociation.org.