By SUNAO GUSHIKEN/ Staff Writer
November 22, 2024 at 18:33 JST
YOKOSUKA, Kanagawa Prefecture—The USS George Washington aircraft carrier arrived at the U.S. naval base here on Nov. 22 for its second deployment to the city.
The ship is replacing the USS Ronald Reagan, which returned to the United States in May after completing its deployment.
Yokosuka, located south of Tokyo, is the only overseas homeport for a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier.
The George Washington had been previously stationed there from 2008 to 2015.
Following its initial deployment, the carrier underwent major renovations in the United States that included refueling its nuclear reactor.
The carrier departed from San Diego in October and participated last week in a trilateral naval exercise with Japan and South Korea in the East China Sea.
Yokosuka has been home to a continuous U.S. Navy carrier presence since 1973, beginning with the USS Midway.
The George Washington was the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be stationed in Yokosuka when it first arrived 16 years ago.
The carrier replacement coincides with the deployment of the latest of carrier-based aircraft models to Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
These include the F-35C stealth fighter and the CMV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.
Both models, making their debut in Japan, have already arrived at the Iwakuni base.
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The U.S. Navy’s USS George Washington aircraft carrier approaches Yokosuka Port, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Nov. 22. (Ikuro Aiba)
