Carrier Swap: Reagan To Be Replaced In 2015 Navy will shift San Diego carrier to Japan in 2015 to accommodate refueling (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE 14 JAN 14) ... Gary Robbins and Jeanette Steele To maintain its power in the Pacific, the Navy is changing the homeport of three aircraft carriers, sending San Diegos Ronald Reagan to Japan, bringing the Theodore Roosevelt here from Norfolk, Va., and recalling the George Washington from Asia for a major overhaul in the United States. The shuffle will occur in 2015 as part of the Navys plan to systematically refuel its nuclear-powered carriers while ensuring that there are always six flattops available for deployment in the Asia-Pacific region, including one stationed in Japan. Our aircraft carriers and their embarked air wings must operate forward, because the truth is you simply must be present to influence events in the world, said Vice Adm. David H. Buss, the Coronado-based commander of Naval Air Forces. No matter the mission, whether the situation is promptly delivering humanitarian aid in a sudden crisis or conducting combat operations, when hours count, help cant be weeks away. The George Washington, which is homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, will be sent to Virginia for the overhaul. The pending shift shows the tremendous flexibility of the Navy with ships and expeditionary forces, said (Ret.) Adm. Peter Daly, chief executive of the U.S. Naval Institute, an independent think tank in Annapolis, Md. The reshuffling will ensure that San Diego continues to be the home of two of the Navys 10 carriers. The Carl Vinson also is based here. When the ship arrived from Norfolk in 2010, local officials estimated that the carrier would pump about $400 million a year into the regions economy. Such carriers typically have about 3,000 crew members when theyre in port, without a fully loaded air wing. The news of the carrier shift was announced locally by Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, who was pleased with the Navys plans. San Diego needs to stay prepared to support the strongest possible naval presence, Hunter said in an email. Keeping a (second) carrier in San Diego definitely helps, and the pivot to the Pacific means that San Diego will have an even greater role in supporting the Navys global mission. A third carrier would be nice, but staying at two is still good news overall. The Reagan was moved to San Diego in 2004, the year after it was commissioned. It has operated out of San Diego Bay since then, with the exception of a 14-month period during which it underwent repairs and upgrades in Bremerton, Wash. The overhaul required some crew to temporarily move north. Further moves will be necessary when the Reagan moves to Japan. The Navy is making every effort to avoid unnecessary permanent change of station moves for sailors and their families due to the relocation of these aircraft carriers, said Cmdr. Kevin Stephens, a spokesman for Naval Air Forces. Such shifts are common in the Navy. Last year, the destroyer Russell was moved from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to San Diego so that it could go undergo modernization in a local shipyard. At the same time, the San Diego-based destroyer Halsey was sent to Pearl Harbor, shifting a warship with the latest technology farther into the Pacific. According to the Navy, the Reagan will move to Japan in August 2015. The George Washington will shift to Newport News, Va., in November 2015. That same month, the Roosevelt will arrive in San Diego Bay. The Navys newest carrier, the Gerald Ford is under construction and will join the fleet in 2016. U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carriers undergo a roughly five-year refueling session at the midpoint of their 50-year life span. The only American flattop permanently stationed outside the United States is in Yokosuka, headquarters of the U.S. Seventh Fleet. utsandiego/news/2014/jan/14/reagan-washington-roosevelt-carriers/
Posted on: Wed, 15 Jan 2014 17:13:32 +0000
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