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Deployments of USS George Washington

Homeports of USS George Washington

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About the Name "George Washington"

Accidents aboard the Ship

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USS George Washington (CVN 73)

USS GEORGE WASHINGTON is the sixth ship in the NIMITZ - class of aircraft carriers and the fourth ship in the Navy to bear the name. On April 7, 2008, the GEORGE WASHINGTON left Norfolk, Va. en route to Yokosuka, Japan, to relieve the USS KITTY HAWK (CV 63) making her the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be forward deployed.

General Characteristics:	Keel Laid: August 25, 1986
	Launched: July 21, 1990
	Commissioned: July 4, 1992
	Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News; Va.
	Propulsion system: two nuclear reactors
	Main Engines: four
	Propellers: four
	Blades on each Propeller: five
	Aircraft elevators: four
	Catapults: four
	Arresting gear cables: four
	Length, overall: 1,092 feet (332.85 meters)
	Flight Deck Width: 257 feet (78.34 meters)
	Area of flight deck: about 4,5 acres
	Beam: 134 feet (40.84 meters)
	Draft: 38,4 feet (11.7 meters)
	Displacement: approx. 100,000 tons full load
	Speed: 30+ knots
	Planes: approx. 85
	Crew: Ship: approx. 3,200 Air Wing: 2,480
	Armament: two Mk-57 Mod 3 Sea Sparrow launchers, three 20mm Phalanx CIWS Mk 15, two Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Systems
	Homeport: Yokosuka, Japan

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS GEORGE WASHINGTON. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

Click here to view the list.

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Click here to see which USS GEORGE WASHINGTON memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

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USS GEORGE WASHINGTON Cruise Books:

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USS GEORGE WASHINGTON in the News:

Click here for News Reports about the GEORGE WASHINGTON.

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History of USS GEORGE WASHINGTON:

USS GEORGE WASHINGTON entered service on July 4, 1992, following construction at Newport News Shipbuilding and commissioning at Norfolk, Virginia. After post-shakedown workups and a first round of carrier qualifications, the ship settled into an Atlantic Fleet rhythm based from Norfolk through the 1990s and early 2000s, alternating deployments to the Mediterranean and Arabian Gulf with short maintenance periods and training off the US East Coast.

Her first extended cruise ran from May 20 to November 17, 1994, as flagship of a battle group supporting air operations over the Balkans and Iraq. During this period the carrier participated in Operation Deny Flight over Bosnia, enforced no-fly provisions over Iraq in Operation Southern Watch, and surged eastward in October during Operation Vigilant Warrior when Iraqi forces massed near Kuwait. Liberty and logistics calls punctuated the schedule: Portsmouth (UK), Brest (France), Antalya and Rhodes (Turkey/Greece), Corfu (Greece), Haifa (Israel), and Jebel Ali (UAE). After a short maintenance availability in early 1995, the ship deployed again from January 26 to July 23, 1996, conducting Southern Watch sorties and supporting NATO's Implementation Force linked to Operation Joint Endeavor in the Balkans, with visits to Trieste and Naples (Italy), Marseille and Cannes (France), Palma de Mallorca (Spain), and Jebel Ali.

A third extended cruise followed from October 3, 1997 to April 3, 1998, including exercise Bright Star '97 in Egypt and renewed Southern Watch tasking. Port calls included Haifa, Cannes, and Jebel Ali. Following workups in 1999, GEORGE WASHINGTON sailed again from June 21 to December 19, 2000 for Gulf operations and no-fly enforcement, with calls at Antalya, Jebel Ali, Bahrain, Corfu, Dubrovnik, Trieste, Naples, and Palma. The ship repeated the Med-Gulf pattern June 20 to December 20, 2002, blending Enduring Freedom and Southern Watch tasking with large NATO exercises (Destined Glory and Mediterranean Shark) and visits to Souda Bay (Crete), Jebel Ali, Lisbon, Naples, and Koper (Slovenia). From January 20 to July 26, 2004, GEORGE WASHINGTON again operated in Fifth Fleet for Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom while interleaving port calls to Souda Bay, Jebel Ali, Naples, and a home-team stop in Mayport, Florida.

In spring 2006 the carrier undertook a focused Caribbean deployment (April 4 to May 24) for "Partnership of the Americas", conducting combined drills and theater security cooperation events with regional navies. Port visits included St. Maarten (April 14) and St. John's, Antigua (mid-May). After a 2007–08 training cycle, the ship executed a high-visibility homeport shift: departing Norfolk in April 2008, calling at Rio de Janeiro on May 22, transiting the Strait of Magellan in early May, and crossing into the Pacific to assume the US Navy's forward-deployed carrier role in Japan. En route on May 22, 2008, an onboard fire damaged multiple compartments and required repairs in San Diego (late May through summer). Turnover with the outgoing forward-deployed carrier followed that autumn, and on October 1, 2008, GEORGE WASHINGTON began her first Western Pacific patrol from Fleet Activities Yokosuka.

From late 2008 through 2014 the ship maintained a steady tempo as the 7th Fleet's forward-deployed flattop. Typical patrols ran two to three months with short in-port periods at Yokosuka. Training and deterrence remained the core mission, often in combined settings. In 2009, the ship participated in Talisman Sabre off Australia (June-July), visiting Perth and Singapore and making a Philippines stop (Manila) before returning to Japan in early September. A fall patrol (October-November) included ANNUALEX with Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force and a port visit to Hong Kong. The 2010 patrol season (June 14 to November 1) featured anti-submarine warfare exercises, Invincible Spirit and Valiant Shield, and port calls to Busan, Singapore, Manila, and Laem Chabang (Thailand). In 2011, two patrols - June 12 to August 25 and September 19 to November 22 - again emphasized combined training (Talisman Sabre and ANNUALEX) with stops in Laem Chabang, Busan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. In 2012, GEORGE WASHINGTON conducted spring-summer (May 26 to July 26) and late-summer-autumn (August 20 to November 20) patrols, integrating Valiant Shield and Keen Sword and visiting Apra Harbor (Guam), Port Klang (Malaysia), Manila, Busan, and Hong Kong. The 2013 season included a summer patrol (June 26 to August 23) and an unscheduled humanitarian assistance mission in November: the ship cut short a Hong Kong port visit on November 12 to steam for the Philippines in response to Super Typhoon Haiyan, conducting relief operations under Operation Damayan through mid-November before returning to Yokosuka on December 6.

By 2015, the forward-deployed tour in Japan neared its planned end. GEORGE WASHINGTON departed Yokosuka for the last time as the forward-deployed carrier in May 2015, took part in Talisman Sabre 2015 en route, and reached San Diego in early August for a ten-day hull and crew swap with USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76). After transferring most of her Japan-based crew to RONALD REAGAN, GEORGE WASHINGTON continued to the East Coast for mid-life work.

The Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) began at Newport News Shipbuilding with dry-docking on August 4, 2017. The multiyear overhaul refueled the reactors, modernized combat systems, re-worked the flight deck and catapults, refurbished berthing and workspaces, and renewed machinery and piping across hundreds of compartments. Following pier trials and initial sea trials in May 2023, the ship re-delivered to the Navy on May 25, 2023 and shifted to Norfolk for post-availability systems shakedown and flight operations.

In 2024, GEORGE WASHINGTON combined her post-RCOH reintroduction to fleet operations with a long-planned homeport change back to Japan. She departed Norfolk on April 25 for Southern Seas 2024 under US 4th Fleet, circumnavigating South America while conducting passing exercises, subject-matter exchanges, and deck-side demonstrations with partner navies. The itinerary included a high-profile stop in Rio de Janeiro (May 22-23), a Strait of Magellan transit escorted by the Chilean Navy (early June), a planned public outreach visit to Valparaiso (mid-June), and bilateral events with Peru capped by an anchorage and reception in Lima (late June). Elements of the air wing and an embarked international planning staff from more than ten nations supported the engagement program throughout. Completing the round-the-continent phase on July 4, the carrier continued north to the US West Coast for a July 2024 hull swap with RONALD REAGAN at Naval Air Station North Island, then sailed west across the Pacific. She arrived at Yokosuka on November 22, 2024, resuming duty as the Navy's forward-deployed carrier in the Western Pacific.

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Click here to get a view of the deployments of USS GEORGE WASHINGTON.

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Homeports of USS GEORGE WASHINGTON:

Period	Homeport
commissioned at Norfolk, Va.
1992 - 2008	Norfolk, Va.
2008 - 2015	Yokosuka, Japan
2015 - 2024	Norfolk, Va.
2024 - present	Yokosuka, Japan

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USS GEORGE WASHINGTON Patch Gallery:


		Click here for more USS GEORGE WASHINGTON Patches.

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About the Carrier’s Name, about President George Washington:

George Washington was born 22 February 1732 in Westmoreland County, Va. He was commissioned in the Virginia Militia in 1753, rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel the next year, and fought brilliantly in the French and Indian War. Entering the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1759, Washington was an early advocate of independence. In 1775 he was appointed Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, and demonstrated a profound appreciation of sea power as well as great military genius. After years of hardship and arduous struggle, he finally won a decisive victory at Yorktown. In directing Allied movements during this campaign, one of the great strategic operations of our history, Washington brilliantly employed the French Navy to cut off Lord Cornwallis from help by sea. He had sought a decisive combined operation like this for years, for he wrote "In any operations, and under all circumstances a decisive Naval superiority is to be considered as a fundamental principle and the focus upon which every hope of success must ultimately depend."

The Treaty of Paris recognized American independence 20 January 1783. After attending the Annapolis Convention of 1786 and presiding over the Continental Convention of 1787, Washington was unanimously elected first President under the new Constitution and inaugurated 30 April 1789. His two terms in office laid the foundations for strong government under the Constitution. Returning to his home at Mount Vernon in 1797, Washington was recalled briefly to command the American army when war with France threatened in 1798. He died at Mount Vernon 14 December 1799.

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Accidents aboard USS GEORGE WASHINGTON:

Date	Where	Events
July 11, 1994	Adriatic Sea	While operating in support of Operation Deny Flight black smoke is reported in one of GW's laundries. Fire crews quickly find out that the smoke is pumped into the space through the ship's ventilation system. Because of the unknown location of the fire the crew is ordered to general quarters and all inbound aircraft are diverted to shore bases in Italy. Shortly thereafter, flames are sighted on the aft starboard sponson and a fuel fire is located nearby. It takes almost one hour to extinguish the fire causing damage that is repaired by the crew in the following weeks and during a port visit to Jebel Ali, U.A.E.
February 7, 1998	Persian Gulf	Two F/A-18's from the GEORGE WASHINGTON collide in the Persian Gulf while returning to the ship after a routine patrol over the no-fly zone. Both aviators were recovered by SAR and flown back to the GW. One of the aviators was killed. The 2 F/A-18s were from VMFA-251, killed was Lt. Col. Henry G. VanWinkle, 41, of Kirkwood, N.Y. The other aviator, Maj. Cary D. Venden, of Conroe, Texas.
February 4, 2002	off North Carolina	A two-day search for a missing crewmember was called-off February 6, 2002. The missing sailor, Seaman Apprentice David Wilse Parkhurst, 19, of Rogersville, Mo., was reported missing late February 4, and an extensive search involving GEORGE WASHINGTON's H-60 helicopters and units from the Coast Guard in Elizabeth City, N.C., began but failed to turn up anything.
November 3, 2002	near Bari, Italy, Aegean Sea	An F/A-18C assigned to VFA-34 homeported in Oceana, Va., was lost during a training mission. The pilot, Lieutenant Commander Robert Clukey III, was killed.
September 11, 2003	off Virginia	Five crew members are injured and later medically evacuated from the GEORGE WASHINGTON following a mishap during an arrested landing by an F/A-18 from VFA-106. The aircraft crashed into the water, and the pilot safely ejected and was immediately recovered. The injured personnel included crew members from VAW-120, VFA-106 and from the crew of GEORGE WASHINGTON. The ship was conducting carrier qualifications operations off the coast of Virginia at the time of the incident. The ship got underway Sept. 9 for Fleet Replacement Squadron carrier qualifications.
November 21, 2003	western Atlantic	Airman David M. Wilson was killed at approximately 4 a.m. EST, when the aircraft tow tractor he was operating was involved in an accident in the ship's hangar bay, during which he sustained severe head injuries. No other personnel were injured.
May 22, 2008	southeastern Pacific	At approximately 7:50 a.m. local time, a fire was detected in the vicinity of the aft air conditioning and refrigeration space and auxiliary boiler room. The fire spread to several spaces via a cableway and caused extreme heat in some of the ship spaces, but it was contained and extinguished by the crew without any serious injuries to personnel. It took several hours to completely contain and extinguish the fire. USS GEORGE WASHINGTON had been conducting a routine replenishment at sea with USS CROMMELIN (FFG 37) when smoke was observed and an emergency breakaway was initiated. Twenty-three sailors were treated for heat stress and one sailor was treated for first degree burns. The ship's crew was at general quarters for approximately 12 hours.
Undated		A flight deck greenshirt is injured when he is hit by the wing of a T-45. Click here to watch a clip of the accident. .mpg file, 5.5 MB

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USS GEORGE WASHINGTON Image Gallery:



			Click here to view more photos.

The photos below were taken by Ian Johnson and show the GEORGE WASHINGTON arriving at Fremantle, Australia, on her first visit to Australia, on July 2, 2009. The third photo shows the carrier during sunset on July 4, 2009.

The photos below were taken by Shiu On Yee and show the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON during her port visit to Hong Kong July 10-15, 2012. On July 14, while the ship was anchored in Victoria Harbour, AN Rafael Martinez assigned to VFA-102 died after falling overboard onto a service barge.

The photos below were taken by Shiu On Yee and show the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON during her port visit to Hong Kong November 8-12, 2013. The port visit was cut short when the GEORGE WASHINGTON and her strike group were ordered to proceed to the Philippines to provide disaster relief in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan.

The photos below were taken by Shiu On Yee and show the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON during her port visit to Hong Kong June 16-20, 2014.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on October 9, 2023.

The photos below were taken by me and show the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., on July 22, 2024. While in San Diego, USS GEORGE WASHINGTON will conduct a hull swap with USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76) which arrived at North Island from Yokosuka, Japan, on July 26, 2024. GEORGE WASHINGTON is going to replace the RONALD REAGAN in Yokosuka while the latter will move to Bremerton, Wash., for overhaul.