The aircraft carrier Nimitz and its carrier strike group left San Diego Saturday for a deployment to the Pacific waters of U.S. 3rd Fleet, officials confirmed Monday.
Nimitz is joined on this latest cruise by the guided-missile cruiser Bunker Hill and the guided-missile destroyers Decatur, Paul Hamilton, Chung Hoon, Wayne E. Meyer and Shoup, as well as the staffs of Destroyer Squadron 9, 3rd Fleet officials said in a statement.
Carrier Air Wing 17 is embarked aboard Nimitz and includes Strike Fighter Squadrons 22, 94, 137 and 146, as well as Electronic Attack Squadron 139, Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 116, Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 and Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 6.
Nimitz’s pre-deployment preparations were interrupted this fall after jet fuel leaked into one of the ship’s 26 potable water tanks.
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Officials said in early October that the issue was fixed, and Nimitz rejoined the strike group for its pre-deployment exercise.
The carrier returned to its home port of Bremerton, Washington, in February 2021, after an historic 11-month deployment that was the Navy’s longest since the Vietnam War.
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Geoff is the managing editor of Military Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.
