What You Need to Know: On Monday, three aircraft carriers departed San Diego, offering a rare sight for ship watchers. The U.S. Navy’s USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) were joined by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force’s (JMSDF) JS Kaga (DDH-184). Nimitz is headed north to Kitsap, Washington, before its 2026 deactivation.
Carl Vinson will begin its Indo-Pacific deployment, replacing USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), which is returning from the Middle East.
Meanwhile, JS Kaga is sailing back to Japan following F-35B training, marking a significant milestone in Japan’s return to operating fixed-wing aircraft carriers.
Seeing two active aircraft carriers in the same port is unusual enough, but on Monday ship watchers in San Diego were treated to three flattops sailing out of San Diego Bay. Two of those vessels were the United States Navy's nuclear-powered supercarriers USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and her sister USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), while the third was the Japanese Maritime........