The USS Nimitz, one of the largest warships in the world, will be hard to miss for anyone on the Greater Victoria waterfront this weekend.
The aircraft carrier and its 2,200 crew is visiting Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt before heading north to Nanoose Bay, site of the Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental and Test Ranges, for trials and testing. Nimitz arrived Friday and leaves Monday.
Nimitz, which is 1,092 feet long and can carry 90 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, will be moored off Royal Roads University, near the mouth of Esquimalt Harbour.
Its crew will be reaching out to the homeless in Victoria by serving lunch at Our Place shelter in Victoria on Saturday.
Members of the Royal Canadian Navy will compete against their American counterparts in sporting events at CFB Esquimalt’s athletic fields on Colville Road on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Nimitz has visited Victoria before, in October 2007. Other U.S. aircraft carriers have stopped by Victoria every few years.
The U.S. is Canada’s most important ally and defence partner, said a statement from the Department of National Defence. “The closeness of the Canada-U.S. defence partnership provides both countries with greater security than could be achieved individually,” said the statement.
