The USS Nimitz, the nation’s oldest carrier, departed Sinclair Inlet Friday morning in preparation for its next deployment.

The Nimitz recently concluded its refurbishments after a year of maintenance at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. It has been stationed at Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton since 2015, when it moved from Naval Station Everett. The ship returned to Bremerton after its last deployment in December 2017.

The vessel is the oldest of the country’s 10 Nimitz-class aircraft carriers and is just six years shy of its expected 50-year service life. Some of the refurbishments the Nimitz received were new steering components, combat systems equipment, aircraft elevator doors, berthing areas and the repainting of its hull.