USS Nimitz visit to Kingston raises questions amid US-Cuba tensions

The USS Nimitz, one of the world’s largest aircraft carriers, berthed Monday at the Kingston Freeport Terminal in Kingston Harbour, prompting fresh public questions about why a major United States warship was in Jamaican waters while Washington is pressing Cuba’s government.

Sources told TVJ News the ship’s arrival was not linked to those developments, describing the timing as “just coincidence” and saying the stop formed part of a goodwill tour. US Charge d’Affaires Scott Renner, when asked about concern over a wider US military build-up in the Caribbean, did not directly answer whether Jamaica and the region should be worried. He said the visit was centred on cooperation with Jamaica, including sailors taking part in school repairs, sports engagements and other community activities.

The carrier is 1,092 feet long, 252 feet wide and 244 feet high, roughly comparable to a 23-storey building. A crew member said the 97,000-ton vessel runs on two nuclear reactors and can travel at more than 30 knots, making it among the fastest ships in the US Navy despite its size.

The Nimitz, commissioned in 1975, is 51 years old and is expected to be retired in 2027. During a media tour, reporters saw the flight deck, where F-18 aircraft capable of carrying bombs and missiles are deployed. The ship can launch an aircraft about every two minutes, and flight deck control uses a physical “widget board” along with a digital system to track aircraft and equipment.

The visit follows the US indictment of former Cuban President Raul Castro over alleged conspiracy to kill US nationals in a 1996 attack on two planes. Cabinet minister Senator Aubyn Hill said much of the speculation around the visit was uninformed, adding that he was present as minister of industry, investment and commerce to welcome an important US fleet.

The Nimitz carried more than 4,000 sailors, some of whom had already gone ashore to experience Jamaican culture. The stop is the final leg of the Southern Seas 2026 deployment and has been presented as a symbol of longstanding Jamaica-US relations. The carrier is scheduled to remain at the Port of Kingston until June 5.