Q: Has USS Gridley (DDG-101) returned to Naval Station Everett?
A: No. USS Gridley and USS Nimitz (CVN-68) transited the Strait of Magellan on April 26, 2026, and are now in the Atlantic Ocean heading north. No official homecoming date for USS Gridley’s return to NAVSTA Everett has been announced.

USS Gridley Clears the Strait of Magellan: Everett’s Destroyer Is Now in the Atlantic on the Final Arc of Southern Seas 2026

On April 26, 2026, USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and USS Gridley (DDG-101) crossed a boundary that most warships never reach: they transited the Strait of Magellan, the 350-mile waterway at the southern tip of South America, and entered the Atlantic Ocean for the first time on this deployment.

The U.S. Navy’s official imagery channel, DVIDS, published photographs of the transit that same day. U.S. Southern Command confirmed the milestone on social media, sharing imagery of the carrier moving through the historic strait first charted by Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition in 1520. Stars and Stripes reported the news on April 28.

For the families of USS Gridley’s sailors at Naval Station Everett — and for anyone who has been following the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group’s journey since it departed Naval Base Kitsap in early March — the Strait of Magellan transit marks the turning point. The Pacific leg is done. The ships are now heading north through the Atlantic.

Why the Strait of Magellan — and Not the Panama Canal?

The Panama Canal has a maximum beam of 110 feet for its wider neo-Panamax locks. USS Nimitz, at 252 feet wide, has been too large for the canal since the day she was commissioned in 1975. That physical constraint means any Nimitz-class carrier moving from the Pacific to the Atlantic has exactly two options: round Cape Horn at the very tip of South America, or transit the Strait of Magellan, the slightly calmer waterway just north of Tierra del Fuego.

The Navy chose the Strait of Magellan. The same route Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan charted five centuries ago winds 350 miles between the South American mainland and the island of Tierra del Fuego. It is technically demanding navigation even in modern conditions, and the imagery DVIDS published from the April 26 transit shows just how striking the scenery is: snow-capped Patagonian peaks, rugged coastline, and the open grey water where two oceans finally meet.

The Deployment Timeline So Far

USS Gridley, homeported at Naval Station Everett, deployed as part of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in early March 2026. Southern Seas 2026 — the 11th iteration of the U.S. 4th Fleet exercise since 2007 — has taken the strike group through some of the most significant waters in the Western Hemisphere:

• Ecuador (early April): Bilateral exercises with the Ecuadorian Navy in the Pacific Ocean
• Chile — Valparaiso (April 17–21): Port visit on the carrier’s final overseas cruise, with Chilean President Gabriel Boric hosting a visit aboard Nimitz; USS Gridley moored pier-side
• Argentina — at sea off Trelew (April 26–30): PASSEX with six Argentine Navy surface units and two embarked Sea King helicopters; exercises that began on April 26, the same day as the Magellan transit
• Strait of Magellan (April 26): The transit that changed the hemisphere — from Pacific to Atlantic

The Argentine exercises and the Strait of Magellan transit overlapped, a reminder of how much happens simultaneously on a deployment of this scale. The strike group conducted partner-nation exercises right up to the moment of making the southern transit.

What Comes Next: The Atlantic Arc

With the Strait of Magellan behind them, USS Nimitz and USS Gridley are now tracking north along South America’s Atlantic coast. Based on the itinerary U.S. 4th Fleet confirmed in March when the deployment was announced, the Atlantic leg was anticipated to include port calls in Brazil and exercises with additional partner navies — including Brazil and Uruguay — before the strike group proceeds into the Caribbean and ultimately toward Norfolk.

USS Nimitz is ultimately headed for Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, where the carrier will be homeported until her decommissioning. The decommissioning — originally planned for 2026 — was pushed back to 2027, timed to align with the commissioning of USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79). That extended timeline means roughly 5,000 sailors and air wing personnel have additional months of service ahead before the carrier retires after nearly 50 years.

For USS Gridley, Norfolk is a waypoint, not a homeport. Once the strike group’s obligations wrap up, Gridley will make the journey back across the Atlantic and, via the Pacific, back to Naval Station Everett. No official homecoming date has been announced by the Navy.

What This Means for NAVSTA Everett Families

If you have a sailor aboard USS Gridley, the Strait of Magellan transit is a meaningful navigation milestone — but not a homecoming signal. The ships are now in the Atlantic, and there is significant distance still to cover before any return-to-homeport sequence begins.

The Fleet & Family Support Center at Naval Station Everett remains the best resource for official deployment information and for connecting with command family readiness programs. The center can be reached at 425-304-3735. A satellite location also serves the Smokey Point area.

For a complete picture of the deployment and what it means for families at NAVSTA Everett, see the practical family guide to USS Gridley’s Southern Seas deployment and the complete Southern Seas 2026 deployment guide for NAVSTA Everett families.

A Milestone Few Ships Ever Reach

It is worth pausing on what happened April 26. Nimitz-class aircraft carriers are among the largest ships afloat. When USS Nimitz transited the Strait of Magellan, she entered a small category of American supercarriers to complete that passage. The transit confirmed the end of the Pacific arc of Southern Seas 2026 and set the stage for the final leg — north through the Atlantic, toward Norfolk, and toward the carrier’s retirement after nearly 50 years of service.

USS Gridley was right there beside her. That will be something for the Everett sailors aboard to remember for the rest of their careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Has USS Gridley returned to Naval Station Everett from Southern Seas 2026?
A: No. As of April 28, 2026, USS Gridley (DDG-101) has transited the Strait of Magellan and is in the Atlantic Ocean heading north. No official homecoming date to NAVSTA Everett has been announced.

Q: Why did USS Nimitz go around South America instead of through the Panama Canal?
A: Nimitz-class aircraft carriers are 252 feet wide — too wide for the Panama Canal. The carrier had two options: round Cape Horn or transit the Strait of Magellan. The Navy chose the Strait of Magellan, charted by Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition in 1520.

Q: When did USS Nimitz transit the Strait of Magellan?
A: April 26, 2026, per official Navy imagery published by DVIDS and confirmed by U.S. Southern Command.

Q: Where is USS Nimitz headed after the Strait of Magellan?
A: Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, where the carrier will be homeported until her decommissioning. The decommissioning was pushed back from 2026 to 2027 to align with the commissioning of USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79).

Q: What is Southern Seas 2026?
A: Southern Seas 2026 is the 11th iteration of a U.S. 4th Fleet deployment designed to strengthen maritime partnerships across South America and the Caribbean. The 2026 edition featured USS Nimitz and USS Gridley conducting exercises and port visits with 10 partner nations across the region.

Q: How do NAVSTA Everett families get deployment updates about USS Gridley?
A: The Fleet & Family Support Center at Naval Station Everett is the official point of contact for deployment support. Reach them at 425-304-3735, or visit the Smokey Point satellite office.

Q: Is USS Gridley homeported at Naval Station Everett?
A: Yes. USS Gridley (DDG-101) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer homeported at Naval Station Everett, Washington — one of five destroyers based at the installation.