Satellite Photo Shows US Aircraft Carrier at China's Doorstep
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Latest satellite imagery shows that the United States aircraft carrier USS Nimitz continues to operate in the South China Sea, where China's sovereignty claims cover most of the waters.
Regarding the Nimitz's deployment in the South China Sea, the U.S. Seventh Fleet—which maintains U.S. naval presence in the Western Pacific Ocean—previously told Newsweek that the nuclear-powered ship "provides presence and combat-ready forces to the theater."
Newsweek has also reached out to the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment by email.
Why It Matters
The U.S. Navy has the largest aircraft-carrier fleet in the world, with 11 vessels in service. They are regularly deployed overseas to demonstrate America's "unwavering commitment" to a free and open Indo-Pacific region, where China is challenging U.S. naval dominance.
Tensions persist in the South China Sea as China's sovereignty claims—based on what it calls "historic rights"—overlap with those of neighboring nations, including the Philippines, a U.S. defense treaty ally, leading to standoffs and clashes at sea between the two sides.
United States Navy sailors prepare for flight operations on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS "Nimitz" in the South China Sea on May 12, 2025.
United States Navy sailors prepare for flight operations on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS "Nimitz" in the South China Sea on May 12, 2025.
Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Franklyn M. Guage/U.S. Navy
What To Know
Open-source intelligence researcher @MT_Anderson said on X (formerly Twitter) that the Nimitz and its two escorting destroyers were spotted underway in the southern part of the South China Sea, about 310 miles west of Brunei on Tuesday, based on a satellite image.
🇺🇸Carrier Strike Group 11🇺🇸
CVN-68 and 2x of her 4x Arleigh Burke class destroyers are operating ~500 km W of 🇧🇳Brunei (13 May 2025)
CSG 11 last spotted near 🇵🇭Scarborough Shoal on 9 May 2025@Schizointel pic.twitter.com/kY0jKDM2ex — MT Anderson (@MT_Anderson) May 15, 2025
In a press release, the U.S. Navy confirmed that the aircraft carrier remained in the South China Sea, where it held a change-of-command ceremony for its carrier strike group on Wednesday.
Commissioned in 1975, the Nimitz is the oldest American aircraft carrier in active service. It departed from its home port—Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Washington—in late March for a deployment in the Western Pacific Ocean, likely on its final mission before retirement.
Following its deployment in waters east of the Philippines, the Nimitz reached the South China Sea as early as May 3 and was seen underway west of Luzon in northern Philippines.
Besides the Nimitz, a second U.S. aircraft carrier, USS George Washington, is stationed in the Western Pacific Ocean. As of Friday, it remained at its Yokosuka home port in Japan, according to a local government website that tracks port visits by U.S. nuclear-powered warships.
What People Are Saying
The U.S. Navy said: "[Nimitz Carrier Strike Group] is operating in the U.S. [Seventh] Fleet area of operations. U.S. [Seventh] Fleet is the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region."
Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said: "The current situation in the South China Sea is generally stable. There isn't any problem with the freedom of navigation and overflight that countries enjoy in accordance with the law."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether the Nimitz will be redeployed from the Western Pacific Ocean to the Middle East, where two of its sister ships are currently stationed amid regional tensions.
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