People gather to greet the aircraft carrier USS George Washington as it returns to Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Nov. 22, 2024. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Hundreds of sailors stood in dress blues as the aircraft carrier USS George Washington pulled into Tokyo Bay on Friday morning for the first time in nearly a decade.
Scores of onlookers were joined by mascots and vendors while the U.S. 7th Fleet Band, high school cheerleaders and traditional Japanese musicians welcomed the ship’s return to the place it called home from 2008 to 2015.
While many of the carrier’s approximately 3,000 sailors are new to Japan, others, including its skipper, Capt. Timothy Waits, served aboard the George Washington during its previous deployment to Japan.
Many of the returning sailors specifically requested the assignment, Waits said at a pierside news conference.
“I think that serves as a testament to the people and the culture of Japan, as well as the strong relationship between our two nations,” he said.
Among the new arrivals was 10-year-old William Prentiss, of Albuquerque, N.M., who was there to welcome his father, Cmdr. Jacob Prentiss, a supply officer aboard the George Washington.
“I’m really excited to see him. I haven’t seen him in six months,” he told Stars and Stripes ahead of the ship’s arrival.
Amanda Murillo and her son, Ethan, of Houston, were waiting to welcome Chief Warrant Officer 2 Robert Murillo.
“We’re grateful to have my husband home,” she said pierside.
Family members and friends cheer pierside as the aircraft carrier USS George Washington arrives at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. Nov. 22, 2024. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
Sailors man the rails of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington as it steams toward its old homeport, Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Nov. 22, 2024. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
Family members and friends wait pierside as the aircraft carrier USS George Washington arrives at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. Nov. 22, 2024. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
Family members and friends cheer pierside as the aircraft carrier USS George Washington arrives at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. Nov. 22, 2024. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
Family members and friends wait pierside as the aircraft carrier USS George Washington arrives at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. Nov. 22, 2024. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
The George Washington left Yokosuka in 2015 for a midlife nuclear refueling and maintenance period at Newport News, Va. The process was significantly delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and other setbacks.
Its sister ship, the USS Ronald Reagan, took its place as the centerpiece of the 7th Fleet’s carrier strike group until it left Yokosuka on May 16 for its own scheduled maintenance period at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash.
During their 2015 interchange, the two ships swapped nearly two-thirds of their respective 3,000 crew members. This time around, only about 350 sailors from the Ronald Reagan, or 13% of its crew, moved to the George Washington before it departed for Japan.
Moving that many sailors and families, as well as a ship the length of Tokyo Tower — 1,092 feet — is “no small feat,” said U.S. Embassy to Japan deputy chief of mission Katherine Monahan.
“[The ship’s] arrival here today clearly illustrates America’s steadfast commitment to the U.S.-Japan alliance and our collective security and deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region,” she said at the news conference.
The George Washington arrived less than a week after its aviation component, Carrier Air Wing 5, returned to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in southwestern Japan. The wing, which departed with the USS Ronald Reagan in May, returned with several changes to its roster.
Strike Fighter Squadron 147, a unit of F-35C Lightning II fighter jets, replaced Strike Fighter Squadron 115’s F/A-18E Super Hornets. While other F-35 models are prominent in Japan, the 147th brings the first C variant, which is equipped for arrested landings, squadron commander Cmdr. Christopher Case told Stars and Stripes on Nov. 17.
The newer aircraft are an example of how the U.S. is ensuring peace and prosperity in the region, said U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel.
“China knows what this USS George Washington can do today, because these are superior aircraft than they were nine years ago,” he told reporters Friday. “America’s deterrence and credibility are seen, heard and believed.”
