Welcome Home: The USS Carl Vinson Is Back in America

In March, the USS Carl Vinson was ordered to the Middle East and arrived in April, when it carried out strikes against Houthis militants in Yemen.

The US Navy announced that the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) arrived home on Thursday following an extended deployment. The service’s third-oldest nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier departed from her home port of San Diego last November for a planned six-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific. However, in March, the warship was ordered to the Middle East.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth extended the deployment, which reached 269 days, or roughly nine months. As USNI News reported, it continues an alarming “trend of longer-than-normal deployments for West Coast-based carriers.” Two other warships from the carrier strike group (CSG), the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG-59) and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG-104), arrived back in San Diego a day earlier.

“USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Nimitz-class aircraft carrier coming into San Diego following 9-month deployment – August 14, 2025,” reported the social media account WarshipCam in a post on X on Thursday.

“Our Sailors’ dedication and hard work over nearly nine months was vital to sustained operations, including combat, protecting our American values of freedom, prosperity, and security on the high seas,” said Rear Adm. Amy Bauernschmidt, commander of CSG-1. “I am immensely proud of every member of our team who professionally executed the mission and will now be able to reunite and spend well-earned time with family and friends.”

An Intense Deployment—from Training to Combat Operations

During the deployment, CVN-70 took part in Exercise Pacific Stellar 2025 with the Maritime Nationale (French Navy) and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) in the Philippine Sea. In the subsequent Exercise Freedom Shield 25, it carried out joint aerial drilling drills with the United States Air Force and the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF).

In March, USS Carl Vinson was ordered to the Middle East and arrived in April, when it carried out strikes against Houthis militants in Yemen as part of Operation Rough Rider. During the deployment, the carrier and its strike group sailed more than 275,000 nautical miles, and its air wing conducted in excess of 10,000 sorties.  

“Throughout this deployment, the Sailors of America’s Favorite aircraft carrier have continually demonstrated remarkable professionalism, grit, and teamwork,” said Capt. Joshua Wenker, commanding officer of the Carl Vinson.

The US Navy Was Forced to Rotate Carriers to the Middle East

The United States Navy has rotated aircraft carriers to the Middle East and maintained a near-constant presence for almost two years, since the Iranian-backed Hamas militants carried out the terrorist attack in southern Israel in early October 2023. While the carriers were deployed to deter Iran, they were also deployed to protect commercial shipping from the Houthi rebel forces that occupy much of western Yemen.

That group has also been supported for years by Tehran, and it began to carry out missile and drone strikes on commercial shipping in support of Hamas.

“Every deployed [carrier], with the exception of the forward-deployed carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73), has been to the Middle East since USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69),” arrived in the region just weeks after the October 7, 2023, attacks.

The US Navy’s oldest carrier in service, USS Nimitz (CVN-68), is currently operating in the region, having arrived for a port visit to Bahrain last Sunday.

About the USS Carl Vinson

• Year Introduced: 1980
• Length: 1,092 ft (333 m)
• Beam (Width): 252 ft (76.8 m)
• Displacement: 101,300 long tons
• Propulsion: 2 Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors; 4 steam turbines; 4 shafts
• Top speed: 30 knots (34.5 mph)
• Range: Unlimited
• Armaments: 2 Mk 57 Mod13 Sea Sparrow launchers; 2 RIM-116 launchers; 2 Phalanx CIWS
  • Air Wing: 90 aircraft (helicopters and fixed wing)
• Crew: Roughly 3,500, plus 2,500 air wing 

The third Nimitz-class supercarrier was named for late Rep. Carl Vinson (D-Georgia), who represented his state in the House of Representatives for 51 years, earning the nickname “swamp fox” and “the Admiral” due to his interest in US naval affairs. Although he was not a “Navy Man,” Rep. Vinson served as chairman of the House Naval Affairs Committee in 1931 and played a pivotal role in guiding the US Navy through the Second World War and the early Cold War. He was a strong supporter of the Two-Ocean Navy Act, which dramatically increased the naval budget by 70 percent.

USS Carl Vinson was launched in 1980 and officially entered service in 1983. As with other carriers of the US Navy’s Nimitz class, CVN-70 can carry more than 65 fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, and can travel more than 5,000 nautical miles in less than seven days in support of national tasking.

The recent Middle East deployment could be described as the carrier returning to familiar waters. CVN-70 was deployed to the region during Operation Desert Strike, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Southern Watch, and Operation Enduring Freedom. The warship has earned multiple Battle Effectiveness Awards (Battle “E”) for its role in naval operations in 1990, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2011, 2015, and 2018. USS Carl Vinson has been bestowed additional awards, including the Navy Unit Commendation, Meritorious Unit Commendation, and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon. Following the successful Navy SEAL raid that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden, the terrorist leader’s body was buried at sea in 2011 from the deck of the warship.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

Image: Wikimedia Commons.