FOLLOWUP: USS Nimitz passes West Seattle

| Seen at sea | West Seattle news

9:58 AM: We mentioned on Thursday that the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) was almost home; it stopped at Indian Island in the north Sound before finishing its journey home to Bremerton after 10+ months away. It’ll be passing West Seattle soon – it’s just north of Elliott Bay now.

(Photo by Gary Jones)

10:35 AM: Passing south Bainbridge, about to make the turn.

(WSB photo – state ferry M/V Kitsap got a good look)

1:22 PM: Here’s another look at it passing, from Don Brubeck in Upper Alki:

The carrier has now arrived in Bremerton – Eric Gattenby tweeted this photo from Rich Passage, between here and there:

A recap of its long deployment is in this report by Josh Farley of the Kitsap Sun. The Nimitz, going on a half-century old, is scheduled to now go into maintenance.

James Patrick Herrmann March 7, 2021 (9:58 am)

Good job!

Jacques Porche March 8, 2021 (7:19 am)

WELCOME HOME SAILOR! TIME FOR SOME FIRST CLASS CHOW, A BIG BED, HOLLYWOOD SHOWERS, GOOD LOVIN’ and SLEEP! BREATHE IN THAT COOL AIR. WELCOME HOME!

Question Authority March 7, 2021 (10:10 am)

Just an FYI, offloading all munitions at Indian Island is handy and lowers risk but it still has four nuclear reactors boiling water while passing by.

aRF March 7, 2021 (12:04 pm)

Two pressurized water reactors.
StopCuttingDownTrees March 7, 2021 (12:45 pm)

Yes, those 4 nuclear reactors are EXTREMELY efficient, carbon-neutral, produce absolutely no airborne particulates, and zero greenhouse gasses. What we should worry about, instead, are the hundreds of gigantic cargo and cruise ships belching black smoke from burnt bunker oil.
- Friend O'Dinghus March 7, 2021 (3:07 pm)
  
  I thought the world’s ships were outlawed from using bunker oil a couple of years ago. I never heard if it actually went into effect though.
- Mark47n March 7, 2021 (3:22 pm)
  
  Until you have to refuel those reactors…of course, we’ll probably have it all figured by then, right. Oddly, we keep saying that.
  - StopCuttingDownTrees March 7, 2021 (4:56 pm)
    
    If we’re going to take climate change seriously, then nuclear power needs to be embraced. It works wonderfully in our U.S. Navy. The amount of radioactive fuel the Navy’s vessel reactors use is tiny and lasts 25 years. The old carrier Enterprise had EIGHT reactors and there were never any problems. These Nimitz-class carriers only have two reactors. France powers their entire nation via nuclear and exports their electricity to anti-nuclear nations in the EU. France is part of the solution.
    - flynlo March 7, 2021 (7:49 pm)
      
      The carrier Enterprise (CVN 65) was decommissioned in ~ 2012. They are still trying to figure out how to “dispose” of it. It displaced ~93,000 tons. It is estimated that the reactor compartment displaces ~28,000 tons which will remain radioactive for 100’s?, 1,000’s? of years. It will probably end up buried at Hanford along with ~130 submarine nuclear reactors. Best estimates are that once they decide to tear the Enterprise apart it will take at least a decade and cost somewhere between $750 million and $1.5 billion. There’s a lot to be said about Nuclear Reactors NOT being the answer to our energy problems unless you’re happy pushing the “problems” off to future generations.!
- AR March 7, 2021 (4:11 pm)
  
  I agree. If we are going to be going all electric – cars, heating, ……. it is going to be an enormous increase in electricity requirements. We need to get clean reliable nuclear energy going.
- Question Authority March 7, 2021 (10:05 pm)
  
  You certainly don’t want airborne particles from those reactors now do you? Oh and don’t forget about the disposal dangers and long lifed contamination in all your efforts to tout greenness. I imagine all the components and chemicals that make up that entire reactor and or ship were produced carbon neutral as well, right?
  - Colonel Mustard's Wrench March 7, 2021 (10:47 pm)
    
    Oh these details are way too inconvenient to have to think about.
    (The disposition and storage of spent fuel is one of the most challenging aspects of the operation of nuclear power. This nuclear waste is highly radioactive and its toxicity presents a danger for thousands of years. After being discharged from the reactor, spent nuclear fuel needs to be transferred to a spent fuel pool. The spent fuel pool is a large pool of water that provides cooling and shielding of the spent nuclear fuel. Once the energy has decayed somewhat (approximately 5 years), the fuel can be transferred from the fuel pool to dry shielded casks, that allegedly can be safely stored for thousands of years. After loading into dry shielded casks, the casks are stored on-site in a specially guarded facility in “impervious” concrete bunkers. An average on-site fuel storage facility can hold 30 years of spent fuel in a space smaller that a football field.)
    Now – how many football fields do we have available at Hanford for all this crap ? Do we really dislike our grandchildren and their descendants that much, that we would leave them this dreadful mess ?
    They will be cursing baby boomers for many generations.

Anne March 7, 2021 (10:18 am)

10:17-were at Alki & see it passing by.

Momof3boys March 7, 2021 (10:34 am)

And the sun is coming out to welcome her home.

Momof3boys March 7, 2021 (10:36 am)

AlkiDad March 7, 2021 (10:38 am)

Anyone else get a good look at the fighter jet on the back of the deck? I assumed it was an F-18 but it looks like it has a red star on the vertical stabilizer.. like it’s a MIG-35?!?

James Patrick Herrmann March 7, 2021 (11:48 am)

That would be intriguing………

Salish sea March 7, 2021 (11:08 am)

Welcome home . Thank you for your service.

Rename Island March 7, 2021 (12:43 pm)

I respect those on the fleet and grateful they are home But Why is it called Indian Island? I find it offensive racist name for an island name in the sound.

De-rename Island March 7, 2021 (4:29 pm)

Maybe if you read this article it could give you a better understanding of the U.S. Navy’s relationship with the S’Klallam Tribe, who don’t seem to be offended.https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2017/11/26/little-known-island-logistics-backbone-pacific-northwest-navy-fleet/886272001/
- Colonel Mustard's Wrench March 7, 2021 (10:00 pm)
  
  If you really want to know what the tribe thinks of the name of the island, you would want to talk to the leadership of the S’Klallam Tribe.
  Non-natives need not assume that they know.

John W March 7, 2021 (2:37 pm)

‘Rename”, we need to start at the top if we want to cancel the word “Indian” as in The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Susan in Port Townsend March 7, 2021 (4:45 pm)

Here is some history about Indian Island, from the Chetzemoka Trail website.House of Seven Generations – Chetzemoka Trail – unionwharf (jamestowntribe.org)

momosmom March 7, 2021 (5:48 pm)

Thank you De-Rename, John W., & Susan, not everything in this World is Racist

Chuck Jacobs March 8, 2021 (9:46 am)

Washington state was named after a slave owner, so ……

Pess March 8, 2021 (10:38 am)

“So……?” So what.…..? If you have a point to make, why not make it instead of engaging in the Seattle passive-aggressive tactic of trailing off with an ellipsis?
StopCuttingDownTrees March 8, 2021 (12:52 pm)

Yet, here you are. Shouldn’t you take a stand against George Washington and move to a different state?

wseaturtle March 8, 2021 (1:02 pm)

So what bugs thee? Passive aggression? Trailing off? or the ellipsis? Personally I don’t care for ellipsis’s. I need things spelled out. The other is ok with me.

Maurice Taylor March 8, 2021 (2:11 pm)

I spent 2 years 11 months 27 days 8 hours and 15 minutes on the Enterprise during Vietnam..

Tammy Rapponotti March 9, 2021 (6:00 am)

Thank you for your service

Nimitz Fan March 8, 2021 (6:09 pm)

The year the Nimitz was commissioned, my dad was stationed aboard that beauty. For the commissioning, they took the sailors and their families (10 yrs and older) several miles off shore and let us tour the ship so we could see what our sailor’s lives were like aboard ship. For a young child, it was the first time I really understood what my dad did for a living and why he spent so much time away from home. I’ll never forget visiting the radar room with Dad and playing frisbee on the deck. I love that carrier and CVN68 will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Grandma Ginny March 9, 2021 (9:02 am)

The President & Vice President should award in these modern day heroes. Who served their country during the present day times. These are the heroes of today. We need heroes today! These are the modern day USA service people A board the USS Nimitz! Please wake up America and honor these modern day heroes.

Mike March 9, 2021 (9:15 am)

Why is it an incredibly small segment of the population wants to hang their hat on an issue like the word Indian. Maybe they can devote their efforts to something that matters like: foster parent a child and give then an opportunity to develop into somebody that contributes to society, work at a homeless shelter, assist in helping homeless, volunteer at a VA facility helping veterans, volunteer at an animal shelter and quit spending time & effort on issues that only create division. That vast majority of Indians take great pride in their heritage and what better way to honor than to dedicate their name to an island, sports team or anything that reflects strength and positivity. The cancel culture and lets make everyone a victim does nothing to make our lives better.