USS Nimitz Aircraft Carrier and USS Gridley Destroyer to Visit Panama

The aircraft carrier will be anchored in open waters, and the ship at the Amador Cruise Port in Panama City. Both vessels began “a journey through the Americas on March 12, departing from the west coast of the United States and navigating the Strait of Magallanes” to “reposition to their new homeport on the east coast of the United States on June 20 of this year”. This tour also includes stops in Peru, Chile, and Brazil, according to official information. Both ships “will be passing through Panama as part of the Southern Seas 2026 exercises in its eleventh edition, an exercise that strengthens development through the exchange of maritime knowledge with countries in the region”. What are the characteristics of the Nimitz and the Gridley? The USS Nimitz is “one of the largest warships in the world” at about 333 meters long, with the capacity to host up to 90 aircraft (between planes and helicopters) and to displace around 100,000 tons at 30 knots, according to Panama's Ministry of Security. While the USS Gridley is “a destroyer-type vessel that provides advanced defense and operational support, equipped with high-tech radar and missile systems to counter threats”. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz will conduct military maneuvers with the navies of ten different countries this year as part of its deployment in the waters of North, Central, and South America. The USS Nimitz and its strike group will conduct exercises with the Naval Forces of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Uruguay, according to the United States Southern Command. The ships will circumnavigate America as part of their Southern Seas 2026 deployment and will make port calls in Brazil, Chile, Panama, and Jamaica. Southern Seas 2026 marks the eleventh edition of these exercises in the region since 2007. The USS Nimitz's strike group, which incorporates the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Gridley, is integrated by the Carrier Air Wing 17 and Destroyer Squadron 9. These units include F-18 and EA-18G fighters (the F-18 version adapted for electronic warfare), multi-purpose MH-60 helicopters, and C-2 logistical support aircraft. Nimitz arrives in Panama this week. The Nimitz aircraft carrier and the Gridley destroyer of the United States Navy will make a stop of at least four days in Panama next week, as part of maritime exercises being conducted by the North American country in Latin America. Panama's Ministry of Public Security stated in a press release that both the USS Nimitz and the USS Gridley destroyer “will be in Panamanian waters from March 29 to April 2 of this year”. Both vessels have the capacity to carry around 6,000 crew members, according to the press release.