USS John C. Stennis arriving at new homeport in Norfolk

US Navy aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) got underway from Mayport, Florida, on May 14 after embarking over 1000 family members and friends for a tiger cruise.

The tiger cruise allows family members and friends to experience life at sea with their sailors.

It also marks the last phase of the John C. Stennis’ around the world deployment ahead of the carrier’s arrival at its new homeport in Norfolk on May 16.

The carrier departed Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton in October 2018 for a homeport shift deployment that will allow the ship to undergo its scheduled midlife refueling and complex overhaul.

USS John C. Stennis is one of three Nimitz-class aircraft carriers changing homeports as part of scheduled maintenance routines.

USS Abraham Lincoln completed its four-year refueling overhaul in May 2017, and will change homeport to naval base San Diego. The ship is currently underway in the Persian Gulf.

USS Carl Vinson has already completed a homeport shift to Bremerton for a scheduled docking-planned incremental availability (DPIA) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.