Quick answer: USS Gridley (DDG-101), homeported at Naval Station Everett, is operating with USS Nimitz (CVN-68) as the lone destroyer escort on the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group’s Southern Seas 2026 deployment — publicly confirmed by the U.S. Navy as the carrier’s final overseas deployment before its 2027 decommissioning. Nimitz departed Bremerton on March 7, 2026; the strike group made its first published port visit in Ecuador on April 7–8 and a second in Valparaiso, Chile from April 17–21, where Chilean President José Antonio Kast came aboard. From there the strike group continues to circumnavigate South America en route to Naval Station Norfolk, where Nimitz begins decommissioning.

Why This Cruise Is Different

USS Nimitz (CVN-68) was commissioned in 1975. It is the lead ship of the Nimitz class — the backbone of the U.S. carrier fleet for the past five decades — and the U.S. Navy has publicly stated that Southern Seas 2026 is the carrier’s final operational deployment. After Nimitz returns to Norfolk, Virginia, the ship begins a multi-year decommissioning process that the Navy has publicly projected to conclude in 2027.

For the destroyer escorting Nimitz on this final cruise, the historical weight is not symbolic — it is operational. USS Gridley is the only Arleigh Burke-class destroyer publicly assigned to the strike group, and it is the Naval Station Everett unit that gets to fly the ensign alongside Nimitz on the carrier’s last underway period before decommissioning.

What Southern Seas 2026 Actually Is

Southern Seas is a recurring U.S. 4th Fleet deployment that has been conducted in various forms since the 1980s. Per U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, Southern Seas 2026 is the 11th iteration of the deployment to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility since 2007. It is not an exercise in the wartime sense; it is a multinational engagement deployment designed around partner-nation port visits, passing exercises (PASSEXs) at sea, and cooperative operations with partner navies in the Caribbean, Latin America, and South America.

The 2026 iteration officially launched on March 23, 2026, with U.S. Southern Command publicly announcing the deployment of Nimitz and Gridley to the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. The strike group’s published itinerary includes engagements with multiple partner navies through scheduled port visits and passing exercises along the South American coastline as the ships circumnavigate the continent en route to the East Coast.

The Published Stops So Far

According to U.S. Navy and U.S. Southern Command public-affairs releases, the published itinerary so far includes:

• March 7, 2026: Nimitz departed Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton for the final time.
• April 7–8, 2026: A bilateral engagement with the Ecuadorian Navy.
• April 17–21, 2026: Port visit to Valparaiso, Chile. USS Gridley moored pier-side; USS Nimitz anchored in Chilean territorial waters. Chilean President José Antonio Kast — inaugurated March 11, 2026 — visited Nimitz during the call. The strike group conducted a passing exercise at sea with the Chilean Navy frigate Capitán Prat after departure.

The Navy has not publicly disclosed the strike group’s remaining itinerary, and we will not speculate. After Southern Seas 2026 concludes, Nimitz proceeds to Norfolk to begin the multi-year inactivation and decommissioning process. The defueling of the two A4W reactors and dismantling of the ship is a years-long undertaking; Nimitz’s last underway period before that work begins is, by the Navy’s own account, the deployment Gridley is on right now.

USS Gridley in Context: Naval Station Everett’s Destroyer Fleet

USS Gridley (DDG-101) is one of five Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers homeported at Naval Station Everett. The destroyers based in Everett, listed alphabetically:

• USS Gridley (DDG-101)
• USS Kidd (DDG-100)
• USS Momsen (DDG-92)
• USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114)
• USS Sampson (DDG-102)

Naval Station Everett is located at 2000 West Marine View Drive. It is the Navy’s most modern major surface-ship base on the West Coast and the only major U.S. Navy installation in the Pacific Northwest with a deepwater carrier-capable pier — though Everett does not currently homeport an aircraft carrier.

Why Everett Is Watching This Particular Cruise

For Naval Station Everett families and the Snohomish County community that surrounds the base, Southern Seas 2026 is the deployment of historic significance for two reasons that compound each other.

The first is Nimitz itself. Snohomish County families have spent the past five months processing two pieces of major Navy news: the November 25, 2025 cancellation of the Constellation-class frigate program, and the December 19, 2025 announcement of the new FF(X) program based on the Coast Guard’s Legend-class National Security Cutter. Everett was the publicly named planned homeport for the Constellation-class frigates; the FF(X) homeport question remains open.

The second is what Gridley is doing. Among Everett’s five destroyers, Gridley is the one carrying the ensign alongside the Navy’s senior carrier on its last cruise. That is the kind of operational milestone Naval Station Everett families will tell each other about for years.

What Comes Next After Nimitz Returns to Norfolk

According to U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, Nimitz is heading toward Norfolk, Virginia, where it is scheduled to begin the multi-year inactivation and decommissioning process expected to conclude in 2027. Defueling the carrier’s two A4W reactors is a multi-year sequence on its own; the inactivation period overlaps with the early phases of dismantlement.

For Gridley, the next-step question is open. Destroyers regularly cycle through training, deployment, and maintenance availabilities, and Gridley’s post-Southern-Seas employment will be set by Naval Surface Force Pacific. The destroyer returns to its Naval Station Everett pier in due course; the Navy has not publicly disclosed the return date.

Frequently Asked Questions

What ship is USS Gridley and where is it homeported?

USS Gridley (DDG-101) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer homeported at Naval Station Everett (2000 West Marine View Drive, Everett, WA). It is one of five Arleigh Burke destroyers based in Everett.

What is Southern Seas 2026?

Southern Seas 2026 is the 11th iteration since 2007 of a U.S. 4th Fleet partner-nation engagement deployment in the Caribbean, Latin America, and South America. It includes port visits, passing exercises with partner navies, and a circumnavigation of South America by the strike group.

Why is USS Nimitz’s deployment historic?

The U.S. Navy has publicly stated that Southern Seas 2026 is USS Nimitz’s final overseas deployment before decommissioning. Nimitz, commissioned in 1975, is the lead ship of the Nimitz class; she departs for Norfolk after Southern Seas to begin a multi-year decommissioning process expected to conclude in 2027.

What happened during the Valparaiso port visit?

Per Navy and U.S. Southern Command public affairs, USS Gridley moored pier-side at Valparaiso from April 17 to 21, 2026, while USS Nimitz anchored in Chilean territorial waters. Chilean President José Antonio Kast visited Nimitz. After departure, the strike group conducted a passing exercise at sea with the Chilean Navy frigate Capitán Prat.

Is this Gridley’s first deployment to South America?

Gridley regularly deploys with U.S. Pacific Fleet across multiple theaters. Naval Station Everett’s destroyers have participated in Southern Seas iterations in prior years; the 2026 deployment is uniquely significant because of Nimitz’s final-cruise status.

How does this connect to the Constellation/FF(X) story?

Separately. The Constellation-class frigate program was cancelled in November 2025; the Navy announced the FF(X) successor program in December 2025. Everett was named as the planned Constellation homeport; the FF(X) homeport question is open. None of that affects Gridley’s deployment with Nimitz, which is in a different ship class and a different community of interest.

When does Nimitz arrive in Norfolk?

The Navy has not publicly disclosed Nimitz’s arrival date in Norfolk. The strike group is en route after circumnavigating South America. Per U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, Nimitz then begins the multi-year inactivation and decommissioning process expected to conclude in 2027.

Related Exploring Everett Coverage

• NAVSTA Everett After the Frigate Cancellation: A Complete Guide
• USS Gridley’s Southern Seas 2026 Deployment: A Naval Station Everett Family Guide
• Getting VA Claims Help in Snohomish County in 2026

Q: Where is USS Gridley right now and why does it matter to Everett?
A: USS Gridley (DDG-101), homeported at Naval Station Everett, was moored pier-side at Valparaiso, Chile from April 17 to April 21, 2026, alongside USS Nimitz on the carrier’s final overseas deployment before its 2027 decommissioning. The two ships are circumnavigating South America as part of U.S. 4th Fleet’s Southern Seas 2026, a routine multinational engagement deployment publicly announced by U.S. Southern Command on March 23. Chilean President José Antonio Kast visited Nimitz during the port call.

USS Gridley Joins USS Nimitz for Chilean Port Visit on Carrier’s Final Overseas Cruise

One of Naval Station Everett’s five Arleigh Burke-class destroyers spent four days last week pier-side in Valparaiso, Chile, accompanying an aircraft carrier on what is publicly confirmed to be its last overseas deployment before decommissioning.

USS Gridley (DDG-101) — homeported in Everett — moored alongside the pier at Valparaiso from April 17 through April 21, 2026, while the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) anchored in Chilean territorial waters nearby. The Navy released the port visit details through its public affairs channels and U.S. Southern Command news pages, including imagery and an on-board visit by Chilean President José Antonio Kast.

The visit is the second scheduled stop along Southern Seas 2026, the U.S. 4th Fleet deployment that the Navy announced publicly on March 23, 2026. The strike group’s stated mission is partner-nation engagement and circumnavigation of South America en route to the U.S. East Coast. According to Naval Forces Southern Command, Nimitz is heading toward Norfolk, Virginia, where it is scheduled to begin the multi-year inactivation and decommissioning process expected to conclude in 2027.

For the Everett community, the headline is straightforward: Gridley — a destroyer Snohomish County families have watched come and go for years — is on a deployment of historic significance for the U.S. Navy.

What Is Southern Seas 2026?

Southern Seas is a recurring U.S. 4th Fleet deployment that has been conducted in various forms since the 1980s. It is not an exercise in the wartime sense; it is a multinational engagement deployment designed around port visits, passing exercises (PASSEXs) at sea, and ship-rider programs with partner navies in the Caribbean, Latin America, and South America.

The 2026 iteration officially launched on March 23, 2026, with U.S. Southern Command announcing the deployment of Nimitz and Gridley to the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. According to the announcement, the strike group’s published itinerary includes engagements with at least ten partner navies — among them Ecuador, Chile, and others not yet named publicly — through scheduled port visits and passing exercises along the South American coastline.

The first published stop of the deployment was a bilateral engagement with the Ecuadorian Navy on April 7 and 8, followed by the Chilean port visit. The Navy has not publicly disclosed the strike group’s remaining itinerary, and we will not speculate on it here.

Why This Particular Cruise Is Different

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) was commissioned in 1975. It is the lead ship of the class that still forms the backbone of the U.S. carrier fleet, and the Navy has publicly stated that Southern Seas 2026 is the carrier’s final operational deployment.

After Nimitz returns to the East Coast, the ship begins a multi-year decommissioning process that the Navy has publicly projected to conclude in 2027. The defueling of the two A4W reactors and dismantling of the ship is a years-long undertaking; Nimitz’s last underway period before that work begins is, by the Navy’s own account, the deployment Gridley is on right now.

For Gridley’s crew and their Everett families, that means this deployment is one Naval Station Everett families will tell each other about for years.

The Chilean Port Visit, As The Navy Described It

According to Navy and U.S. Southern Command public affairs releases, the April 17–21 stop in Valparaiso included:

• A bilateral air engagement with the Chilean Air Force preceding arrival
• A reception aboard Nimitz for senior Chilean government and military leaders
• An on-board visit from Chilean President José Antonio Kast
• A passing exercise at sea with the Chilean Navy frigate Capitán Prat after departure

These details come exclusively from Navy.mil, the U.S. Southern Command news site, and DVIDS — all official public-affairs channels. We do not publish operational details beyond what those channels have released.

USS Gridley And Naval Station Everett

USS Gridley (DDG-101) is one of five Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers homeported at Naval Station Everett. The destroyers based in Everett, listed alphabetically, include:

• USS Gridley (DDG-101)
• USS Kidd (DDG-100)
• USS Momsen (DDG-92)
• USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114)
• USS Sampson (DDG-102)

Naval Station Everett, located at 2000 West Marine View Drive, is the Navy’s most modern major surface-ship base on the West Coast. It is the only major U.S. Navy installation in the Pacific Northwest with a deepwater carrier-capable pier, although Everett does not currently homeport an aircraft carrier.

The base has been in the public conversation for the past five months because of the Navy’s November 25, 2025 cancellation of the Constellation-class frigate program and the December 19, 2025 announcement of the new FF(X) program based on the Coast Guard’s Legend-class National Security Cutter. Everett was the publicly named planned homeport for the Constellation-class frigates; the FF(X) homeport question remains open. Snohomish County’s Military Affairs Committee, rebooted in February 2026, is working that question with the Washington congressional delegation.

That work continues. In the meantime, Gridley and the rest of Naval Station Everett’s destroyer fleet do what destroyers do — train, deploy, escort carriers, return home, and start again.

What This Means For Military Families In Everett

Deployments are public; the day-to-day rhythm of life around them is not. For families connected to Gridley specifically, the resources at Naval Station Everett are unchanged from any other deployment cycle:

• Fleet & Family Support Center (FFSC), 425-304-3735 — provides deployment readiness, spouse employment programs (FERP, MySECO, MySTeP), financial counseling, and reintegration support. Walk-in and appointment options at the main Everett location, with satellite hours at Smokey Point.
• Child & Youth Programs (CYP) — the Child Development Center, Youth Programs, and the School Liaison Office handle continuity of care for children of deployed sailors, including school enrollment and special education advocacy across district lines.
• USO Northwest — operates a center inside the Sea-Tac International Airport USO and supports homecoming logistics regionally.
• American Legion Post 6 and the Everett Navy League Council — provide community connection points for families and veterans throughout the deployment cycle.

None of these resources are new. The point of listing them now is the same point that’s true any time a homeport ship is downrange: the support infrastructure is local, it’s free for eligible families, and the people who staff it are reachable by phone today.

The Bigger Picture For Everett

Naval Station Everett’s footprint on Snohomish County is significant. The base employs thousands of military and civilian personnel directly, supports a regional supply-chain ecosystem of contractors, and anchors the demand for off-base housing, schools, healthcare, and local services from Mukilteo to Marysville. Every deployment cycle ripples through that ecosystem.

The high-profile nature of this particular deployment — Nimitz’s final cruise, a Chilean head-of-state visit, the historical weight of the Nimitz name retiring — gives Gridley’s crew and their families something most homecomings won’t have: a story with national scope.

When the strike group eventually returns home (Nimitz to Norfolk, Gridley to Everett), the Everett portion of that homecoming will be a Naval Station Everett pier event under standard family-support and base-access procedures. The Navy and base public affairs will release timing publicly when that timing exists. We do not have it now and will not speculate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is USS Gridley deploying or returning?

Deploying. Per the Navy’s March 23, 2026 announcement, USS Gridley deployed with USS Nimitz to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility for Southern Seas 2026. The two ships are currently transiting the South American coastline.

When will USS Gridley return to Everett?

The Navy has not publicly released a return date. Once the Navy or Naval Station Everett public affairs releases an official homecoming date, the base will publish family information through standard channels.

Was anyone from Naval Station Everett at the Chilean port visit?

USS Gridley’s crew was pier-side at Valparaiso April 17–21, 2026. The Navy released the photos publicly through DVIDS. The Navy did not publicly release the names of any individual crewmembers below flag rank, and neither will we.

Why is this Nimitz’s final deployment?

USS Nimitz (CVN-68) was commissioned in 1975. The Navy has publicly stated the carrier will be decommissioned in 2027 after this deployment. Nimitz-class carriers are nuclear-powered, and the decommissioning process — including reactor defueling — takes multiple years.

Does Naval Station Everett homeport an aircraft carrier?

No. Naval Station Everett has a carrier-capable deepwater pier but does not currently homeport an aircraft carrier. The base homeports five Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and several Coast Guard cutters.

Where can military families in Everett get deployment support?

The Naval Station Everett Fleet & Family Support Center is reachable at 425-304-3735. Walk-in and appointment-based services include deployment readiness, spouse employment programs, and financial counseling. Smokey Point has satellite hours.

What happens to Naval Station Everett if FF(X) doesn’t homeport here?

That question is unresolved. Snohomish County’s Military Affairs Committee — rebooted on February 23, 2026 — is actively engaging the Washington congressional delegation on FF(X) homeport options. The Navy has not publicly named an FF(X) homeport as of this writing.

What ships did the Chilean Navy operate alongside Gridley?

According to Chilean and U.S. Navy public releases, the Chilean Navy frigate Capitán Prat conducted a passing exercise with USS Nimitz and USS Gridley after the Valparaiso port visit. No further joint ship details were released publicly.

Sources

• U.S. Navy Press Office: “Chile Welcomes Nimitz Carrier Strike Group” (Navy.mil, April 2026)
• U.S. Southern Command: “Chile Welcomes Nimitz Carrier Strike Group” (Southcom.mil, April 2026)
• U.S. 4th Fleet: “U.S. 4th Fleet Announces Southern Seas 2026 Deployment” (March 23, 2026)
• Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) imagery release
• U.S. Naval Institute News: USNI Fleet and Marine Tracker, April 20, 2026
• Stars and Stripes coverage of Chilean president visit, April 20, 2026
• Naval Station Everett public affairs and CNIC NW base information