Puget Sound-based supercarrier Nimitz heads out, could be Korea-bound
Keith Eldridge
USS Nimitz departs from its home port on Thursday, June 1. (KOMO/Air 4 photo)
BREMERTON, Wash. - Three warships from the Puget Sound are on their way to the western Pacific and could be involved in the concerns with North Korea. They include the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and destroyers USS Shoup and USS Kidd.
The Nimitz is the oldest aircraft carrier in the fleet and could get involved in the newest military operations. Three thousand members of the ship's crew loaded on board Wednesday for what's being called a routine six-month deployment in the western Pacific, Indian Ocean and Middle East.
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For obvious security reasons, the commanders of the Nimitz can't say where they're going or what they're going to be doing, but North Korea is on everyone's mind. Tensions are high on the Korean Peninsula as North Korea steps up its missile tests. The USS Carl Vinson and USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike groups are already operating nearby.
Could the Nimitz soon be joining them? "Sure there's a chance we could," said Rear Admiral Bill Byrne who commands the Nimitz strike group. "So we are provide presence on the peninsula and in the waters around the peninsula as a deterrent force."
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