US Navy Keeps USS Nimitz in Operation Longer Than Originally Scheduled

(MENAFN) The United States Navy has decided to prolong the operational life of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, keeping the vessel in service until March 2027—almost a year beyond the previously scheduled timeline, according to reports released Saturday.

A Navy official said the carrier’s retirement date had been moved, explaining that “has since been extended to March 2027. Accordingly, the US Navy plans to inactivate the ship in 2027.”

Earlier plans had called for the warship to be decommissioned in May 2026.

The decision comes as tensions continue to rise in the region surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping has faced disruptions following Iran’s effective closure of the vital waterway since early March. The interruption of maritime traffic has contributed to increases in global oil and fertilizer prices, sparking broader concerns about energy supply chains.

Earlier, Donald Trump said that nations relying on oil shipments through the strait should play a role in safeguarding the route, noting that the United States would provide assistance. The US president had also suggested that naval escorts for oil tankers traveling through the passage could begin “soon.”

During its latest deployment, which concluded in December, the USS Nimitz crossed the Strait of Hormuz four times while operating under the United States Fifth Fleet.

The carrier, currently the oldest active aircraft carrier in the US fleet, recently departed from Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Washington, heading toward Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.

The voyage had originally been expected to mark the ship’s final journey, though reports indicate that future deployment plans for the carrier have not yet been made public.

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