With retirement looming, USS Nimitz comes to Norfolk

Maggie Allwein, The Virginian-Pilot on Jul 9, 2026

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NORFOLK, Va. — The USS Nimitz docked Thursday at Naval Station Norfolk, one of the last steps in its 51 years of commission.

The aircraft carrier will remain in Hampton Roads to train Navy sailors and aviators for a year or two before it is officially retired. But its captain said he isn’t convinced this is the finale for the Nimitz.

“As I say I might be the last captain, I say this tongue in cheek, I am the third ‘last captain’ of USS Nimitz,” Commanding Officer Joseph Furco said. “The world gets a vote, the U.S. Navy might need to ask more of Nimitz. I’m not convinced some of Nimitz’s greatest accomplishments are all behind her.”

Almost 3,000 sailors arrived after a four-month deployment to the United States Southern Command areas of operations and participation in Fleet Exercise 250 and the International Naval Review 250. Around 500 to 800 air wing sailors already disembarked at Naval Station Mayport, according to Navy officials.

The Navy’s oldest carrier in active service has hosted more than 200,000 sailors throughout its half-century.

Aden Conley, a legalman aboard the Nimitz for 31/2 years, said his grandfather was a part of the aircraft’s first deployment.

“It means a lot,” Conley said. “It was really cool to be on the last deployment. (My grandfather) has a little plaque sitting in his office, so, hoping to get a plaque as well to go into my office.”

Commander Matthew Bezold, who has spent 21/2 of 19 years in the Navy on the Nimitz, said what makes the Nimitz different is its people.

“From the top down,” Bezold said. “There were many, many opportunities for us to really come together and excel as a team.”

A 21-year-old petty officer in the navigation department, Kade Locklear, marked the end of his second deployment, and has been in the Navy for three years. Originally from Boiling Springs, South Carolina, Locklear is eager to be just a drive away from his family. His last assignment, which was nine months long, had him navigating the Nimitz through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Knowing that even before I was on this Earth, there were sailors pulling the ship in and out of Norfolk, being able to do that one of the last times before the ship is decommissioned (makes me) very proud,” Locklear said.

Around 2 p.m., commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command Admiral Karl Thomas spoke to the service members disembarking.

“My message to you is really simple: thank you, thank you to you and to your families for your sacrifice in answering the many calls of our nation,” Thomas said. “You’re right in the final, historic chapter of this ship’s legendary 51-year service. You have shown the world exactly what American sea power looks like, and you’ve done it spectacularly.”

Conley thinks the Nimitz decommissioning is coming at the right time, and views it as a step forward to newer aircraft carriers.

“The sailors try hard to keep her going, but she needs a break,” he said.

Conley compared the Nimitz’s last deployment to others he has been assigned to as “a little bit more relaxing.”

“We didn’t have to worry about as much tension in the world,” Conley said. “Getting to meet new people from different countries, exploring, trying new food. It was kind of a party.”

Air Boss Michael Farley reflected fondly on the time Nimitz spent participating in the International Naval Review 250, which brought more than 100 ships from across the globe into New York City.

“One of the most fulfilling things as a service member in naval service, getting to work alongside your counterparts from other countries who also wear the cloth of naval service,” Farley said. “And for that to be the final deployment of the USS Nimitz (is) incredibly fitting, because that’s our motto: teamwork.”