This aircraft carrier was out of use for 2,117 days and is on its way to China

What you need to know: The USS George Washington (CVN-73), a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier, recently completed an extensive Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) in May 2023, taking almost two years longer than planned.

-Following final pre-deployment certifications, the airline departed Norfolk in April and arrived in San Diego in July. It is now en route to Yokosuka, Japan, to become the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, succeeding the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76).

-As part of a strategic ‘Hull Swap’, personnel and equipment were transferred to increase mission readiness. George Washington’s primary role is to monitor and deter Chinese naval expansion, reinforcing America’s commitment to regional stability and interoperability with allied navies.

USS George Washington: The Navy’s only forward-deployed supercarrier heads to Japan

The US Navy has tried to fix the problems with the nuclear-powered Nimitz-class supercarrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) in the rearview mirror, while the crew is probably more than happy to be back on the open sea. The carrier underwent a lengthy Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) that was not completed until May 2023 and lasted 2,117 days, almost two years longer than expected, and almost as long as the original construction took.

With the completion of pre-deployment certifications taking almost another year, USS George Washington finally departed Norfolk, Virginia, in April and arrived in San Diego last July. After much fanfare, CVN-73 finally travels to Yokosuka, Japan, where she will become the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, taking over duties from her sister flattop USS. Ronald Reagan (CVN-76). The two ships recently entered into a ‘Hull Swap’, which involved the movement of personnel, equipment and even classified material between the two ships.

The ships have a clear mission: to monitor and deter actions by China and its growing naval power

Deployed forward

This will be the second time the Nimitz-class warship has served as a “Forward-Deployed Naval Forces-Japan” aircraft carrier – and it was actually the first nuclear-powered flattop ship to serve in that role before being relieved by CVN-76.

“USS George Washington departed San Diego to begin the final phase of its redeployment to Japan, where it will once again serve as the Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier,” said Adm. Greg Newkirk, commander of Carrier Strike Group 5.

“It will take its place alongside the armed forces that are always ready in terms of responsibility. George Washington, in all his capabilities, represents America’s commitment to stability in the region where it will sail and fly with our partner navies as we strive to move forward. from interoperability to true interchangeability,” Admiral Newkirk added.

Large aircraft carrier named after great general

Despite its prominent role in American history, only four ships have been named in honor of George Washington, hero of the Revolutionary War and the nation’s first president. These included a US Navy frigate that served in the undeclared or “quasi-war” with France; and the second began life as a German ocean liner that took refuge in New York at the outbreak of World War I, but was subsequently taken over by the US Army and used as a troop transport.

The third was the lead ship of a class of five nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines built between 1958 and 1961. These boats served as the U.S. Navy’s primary contribution to the nuclear deterrent force in the late 1980s.

However, it is the fourth ship to bear the name that actually serves to honor General and later President George Washington – the sixth nuclear-owned Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. CVN-73 was laid down in August 1986 and officially commissioned into the US Navy on July 4, 1992.

Lafayette, we’re here!

Fittingly, it was from CVN-73 that then-President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton led an entourage of the nation’s leaders on June 5, 1994 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the D-Day Normandy landings, France. Off the coast of Normandy, President Clinton cast a wreath on the waters of the English Channel in honor of the men who died at sea during the landings.

Later that year the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, which could carry up to 90 aircraft, was sent to the Persian Gulf, where it took part in Operation Vigilant Warrior to protect Kuwait from a second invasion by Iraq. Together with the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LPH-10), along with 2,000 Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the arrival of the aircraft carrier convinced Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to withdraw his Republican Guard. In November 1994, Iraq officially recognized an independent Kuwait.

The airline spent the remainder of the 1990s deploying to the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. Following the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, USS George Washingtonalong with the carriers USS John F Kennedy (CV-67) and USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74), was deployed to protect the United States from possible attacks. CVN-73 was stationed as the protector of the Big Apple and the East Coast.

During the subsequent sixth deployment, which began in February 2004, CVN-73 traveled to the Gulf of Aden and conducted operations in the Persian Gulf. In December 2005, it was announced by the US Navy that USS George Washington would replace the conventional powered USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) as the forward-deployed aircraft carrier at the U.S. Naval Base Yokosuka, Japan. As a result, USS George Washington became the first nuclear-powered surface warship permanently stationed outside the continental United States.

George Washington was later one of several US Navy ships that also participated in disaster relief following the 2011 T hoku earthquake and tsunami. The flattop left Japan in 2015 after a 10-day turnover period with the newer USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76). Before she started her midlife RCOH, George Washington also provided support to Haiti following Hurricane Matthew in October 2016.

CVN-73 now heads back to Japan.

Experience and expertise of author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a writer from Michigan. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites with more than 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He writes regularly about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics and international affairs. Peter is also one Contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can send the author an email: (email protected).

Image credits: Creative Commons and/or Shutterstock.