Just weeks after USS Abraham Lincoln sailors returned to Naval Air Station North Island from a 10-month deployment, they and their families are preparing to pack up again.
The Navy announced Oct. 19 that the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier (CVN 72) will shift its home port from San Diego to Bremerton, Wash., later this year to complete a long-planned maintenance period. The move will be carried out as a permanent change of station (PCS) for the crew and their family members.
The announcement came 11 days after Lincoln returned to North Island on Oct. 8 following 10 months of operations in the U.S. 3rd, 5th, and 7th Fleet areas of operations.
Lincoln arrived in San Diego in January 2020 to serve as the flagship for Carrier Strike Group 3. Since then, it has operated in both the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East. It is expected in Bremerton by the end of the year.
The Navy said sailors and their families will have access to resources to help them prepare for the transition.
According to the Navy, home port shifts are part of its strategic dispersal of ships. The service said regularly scheduled depot-level maintenance extends the lifespan of its vessels, and the work in Bremerton is intended to extend Lincoln’s service life and restore the carrier’s material condition and combat readiness.
