Amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego returns home to Naval Base San Diego following a seven-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleets on Feb. 25, 2015 (Rosalie Chang/U.S. Navy)
The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego will be replacing USS Green Bay at Sasebo Naval Base, Japan, the Navy announced recently. USS San Diego, currently homeported at its namesake Naval Base San Diego, will join the U.S. 7th Fleet at an unannounced date, according to a Navy press release emailed to Stars and Stripes on Wednesday.
“For operational security reasons, we do not discuss ship’s movements,” base spokesman Aki Nichols told Stars and Stripes by email on Wednesday.
Sasebo base commander Capt. Michael Fontaine “looks forward to welcoming USS San Diego, her crew, and their families to the Sasebo community, and we stand ready to support her as part of our forward deployed fleet,” Nichols said.
Sasebo is home to the America Amphibious Ready Group, which includes the Green Bay and is led by the amphibious assault ship USS America.
Green Bay has been deployed to Sasebo for a decade and will return to the United States at its new homeport of San Diego, the release said.
The National Defense Authorization Act mandates that U.S. Navy ships may not deploy to Japan for more than 10 years, making this departure a permanent change of station for the Green Bay crew and their family members. “The forward presence of San Diego supports the United States’ commitment to the defense of Japan, enhances the national security of the United States and improves its ability to protect strategic interests,” the release states.
Amphibious transport dock ships support amphibious assault, special operations or expeditionary warfare missions and serve as secondary aviation platforms for amphibious operations, according to the Navy.
The San Diego carries a ship’s company of 360 officers and crew with room for 440 embarked Marines, according to the Navy. In March 2023 the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland also departed Sasebo for San Diego.
“This posture allows the most rapid response times possible for maritime and joint forces and brings our most capable ships with the greatest amount of striking power and operational capability to bear in the timeliest manner,” the release said.
