Aircraft carriers USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) and USS George Washington (CVN-73) have started the hull swap that will formally mark the changeover of the Navy’s next forward-deployed aircraft carrier in Japan.
On Monday, Reagan joined GW at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., where the crews of both ships will work on the transition for GW to assume the role as the Navy’s only forward-deployed carrier. Reagan, which has been the forward-deployed carrier based in Yokosuka, Japan, since 2015, will now head to Bremerton, Wash.
“As part of the transition, the embarked Air Wing and Staffs, which include Carrier Air Wing 5 (CVW 5) and Destroyer Squadron 15 (DESRON 15) will all cross deck to USS George Washington (CVN-73) bringing with them their vast operations experience operation on one of the most advanced and capable warships in the world,” reads a Navy news release.
“About 350 Sailors, 13 percent of the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) crew, will swap with USS George Washington (CVN-73) Sailors. With them, these Sailors will bring their Indo-Pacific and forward deployed experience to George Washington.”
Ongoing activities for the hull swap will continue at North Island and GW will officially be the forward-deployed carrier as of Aug. 1, according to the Navy news release.
Reagan left Yokosuka for the last time in May. GW redelivered to the Navy in May of 2023 following a six-year refueling and complex overhaul. This will be GW’s second time forward-deployed in Japan, where the carrier was based from 2008 to 2015.
“I know 7th Fleet is in good hands and as Ronald Reagan left behind a legacy of ‘peace through strength,’ George Washington will embody the ‘spirit of freedom’ in the Indo-Pacific once again,” Reagan commanding officer Capt. Daryle Cardon said in the Navy news release.
The Navy worked with the Japanese government to execute the hull swap.
“This nuclear aircraft carrier was a huge part of the foundation of trust between the U.S. and Japan, and that trust is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” George Washington commanding officer Capt. Tim Waits said in the news release.
On its way to San Diego, GW sailed around South America and participated in the Southern Seas exercise series.
During GW‘s time at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding, the carrier faced numerous delays exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and sailors assigned to the carrier experienced some of the most difficult living situations in the military. Nine sailors assigned to GW died by suicide between 2017 and 2022.
The last carrier swap featured three carriers and finished in January 2016 after Reagan became the new forward-deployed carrier in Japan, GW returned from Japan for its RCOH and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) made San Diego its new homeport.
