The USS Nimitz ships out of San Diego today, and its crew of 2,800 will be gone for a year. The Nimitz is the second San Diego-based carrier that has departed over the past week. The USS Carl Vinson left last week on a routine deployment.
Navy Lt. Aaron Kakiel says the Nimitz is headed for Bremerton, Washington for extended maintenance. Kakiel said the ship's crew of nearly 3,000 sailors will have to remain with the ship while it's gone.
"And their families have the option of moving up there," he added. "The Navy has done what they call an administrative home-port shift, to kind of reduce that separation time."
San Diego economist Marney Cox says the departure of aircraft carriers, and their thousands of crew members, can have an impact on local spending and tax collections. But since crew members' families typically remain in San Diego, those Navy salaries may not be going on deployment
