The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson will shift its homeport from San Diego to Bremerton, Washington, the U.S. Navy announced Thursday.
In its place will be USS Abraham Lincoln, which currently based in Norfolk, Virginia. The ship will rejoin the Pacific Fleet, the Navy said.
Abraham Lincoln, commissioned in 1989, was previously homeported in San Diego from 2006 to 2011 before moving to Norfolk for midlife refueling to replace expended nuclear fuel.
The homeport shift was done ahead of Carl Vinson's planned drydocking at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for maintenance, Cmdr. Ron Flanders said.
Carl Vinson, commissioned in 1982, was designed to last 50 years and regular maintenance is crucial, he said.
The ship has been based in NAS North Island since October 2009. In 2011, the body of Osama bin Laden was buried at sea from its deck.
The ship's deck also hosted the first NCAA basketball game on an aircraft carrier that same year. The game was played between North Carolina and Michigan State.
