Where Are The Aircraft Carriers: July 7, 2026

Here’s TWZ’s weekly carrier tracker monitoring America’s flattop fleet, including deployed Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) and Amphibious Ready Groups (ARG), using publicly available open-source information. Check out last week’s report here.

Amphibious assault ship USS Boxer finally arrived in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR), months after reports of a surge deployment in March to reinforce troops in the Middle East during the war against Iran. Boxer deployed on March 18 and transited the Pacific westbound before entering the Indian Ocean in early May, but never crossed into the CENTCOM AOR. Rather than continue to the Middle East, the ARG disaggregated: Boxer doubled back to Singapore and the South China Sea, where Portland was still operating, while Comstock moved on to CENTCOM. Boxer and Portland transited the Malacca Strait northbound in late June and have re-aggregated with Comstock in the AOR.

The U.S. now has four big-deck warships on station in the Middle East – two aircraft carriers, USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush, and two amphibious assault ships, USS Tripoli and USS Boxer – representing a step up in naval force posture while negotiations with Iran develop. In contrast, the U.S. appears to be drawing down its forward-deployed strategic bomber forces, with the last B-52 Stratofortress bombers departing RAF Fairford last week, according to plane spotters.

USS Nimitz, on her final transit, arrived in New York City on July 3 and anchored off the coast of Stapleton, Staten Island, ahead of the International Naval Review (INR) 250 on July 4. Nimitz sat at anchor in New York Harbor during INR 250, the pinnacle event of the Navy’s celebration of America’s 250th birthday and the largest international maritime event in U.S. history, which featured over 70 U.S. and allied naval vessels and tall ships. Before pulling into New York, Nimitz departed Mayport, Florida, last week and steamed up the east coast while conducting ordnance offload. The Boeing MQ-25 Stingray demonstrator drone, also known as the T-1, was on full display once again.

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower moored in Norfolk on July 2 after a two-week work-up supporting Carrier Qualifications (CQ) and East Coast Fleet Replacement Squadrons (FRS). Student naval aviators were aboard and successfully completed CQ from June 27-30, according to a release on DVIDS. “The multi-day training evolution focused on developing the next generation of fleet aviators, specifically highlighting pilots navigating the E-2 Hawkeye pipeline.” Eisenhower is preparing to deploy in early 2027, TWZ previously reported.

USS Carl Vinson returned to San Diego after completing flight deck certifications and CQ with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 from June 25 to July 1. The Navy formally announced the completion of her nine-month Planned Incremental Availability (PIA), which TWZ reported last month. “Our Sailors’ efforts were vital in preparing Carl Vinson to return to sea,” Cmdr. Paul Novess, Carl Vinson’s maintenance officer, said. “It was my honor to bring Sailors from all rates into our 13 production teams to safely execute more than 359,000 man hours of maintenance.”

USS Theodore Roosevelt and amphibious assault ship USS Essex just wrapped up the in-port phase of RIMPAC 2026 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. Both ships, along with several other participating units, have been hosting public events and open tours for the local community and visiting service members. The sea phase of the exercise is set to begin this week. Roosevelt was leaving Pearl Harbor, according to public AIS data, at the time of publication.

After participating in the live-fire SINKEX of USS Juneau last week, USS George Washington has continued operations in the Western Pacific. The flattop and embarked CVW-5 were recently spotted in the Philippine Sea conducting flight operations, live-fire shooting drills, nighttime fast rope exercises, small boat evolutions, and physical training on the flight deck. Washington is operating alongside guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls, guided-missile destroyers USS Shoup and USS Benfold, and fast-attack submarine USS Minnesota.

Note: Positions are general approximations. Non-deployed LHA/LHD amphibious warships are not shown.

Contact the author: ian.ellis-jones@teamrecurrent.io