finance
Four of Eleven U.S. Carriers Deployed as of July 3, 2026
Four Nimitz-class carriers are at sea and one is in New York for the International Naval Review 250. Six others remain in home ports for maintenance or repairs under the federal requirement to keep 11 nuclear-powered carriers in service.
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Four Nimitz-class aircraft carriers are deployed and one is in New York City for the International Naval Review 250 as of July 3, 2026. Federal law requires the U.S. Navy to maintain 11 nuclear-powered carriers in service.
The USS Abraham Lincoln has been at sea for 224 days since departing Naval Base San Diego on November 21, 2025. The USS George H.W. Bush sailed from Naval Station Norfolk on March 31, 2026. Both carriers are operating in the Middle East.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt began its deployment on June 15, 2026, and is leading the Rim of the Pacific exercise near Hawaii. The USS George Washington departed Yokosuka, Japan, on May 23, 2026, for its annual patrol in the Pacific. The USS Gerald R.
Ford returned to Naval Station Norfolk in May 2026 after a 326-day deployment during which it sailed more than 57,713 nautical miles and executed about 12,200 flight launches. The USS Nimitz is docked in Staten Island through July 8 for the naval review and is scheduled for decommissioning in March 2027.
Six carriers are in home ports.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower completed sea trials in April 2026 and is pierside at Norfolk. The USS Carl Vinson conducted open-water operations in the Pacific in mid-June after a seven-month maintenance period.
The USS Ronald Reagan is in drydock at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. The USS John C. Stennis is completing a multi-year refueling overhaul at Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding that has lasted nearly five and a half years.
Deliveries of the future USS John F. Kennedy and future USS Enterprise are delayed by supply chain bottlenecks, labor shortages, and construction constraints at Newport News Shipbuilding.
