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Aircraft carrier arrives in Japan: US boosting naval presence in western Pacific
YOKOSUKA — The USS Ronald Reagan arrived in Yokosuka, Japan, Thursday, replacing the USS George Washington. With a crew of 5,000 and up to 90 aircraft on board, the largest vessel in the U.S. Navy will be able to reach hot spots such as the South China Sea or North Korea weeks earlier than if it were based on the U.S. west coast.
The move makes the Ronald Reagan the Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier. It will be the fifth carrier to be based in Japan, following the USS Midway, USS Independence, USS Kitty Hawk and George Washington. “We have had a carrier here continuously for 42 years. The critical importance of the carrier being here, both the substance and the symbolism, cannot be overstated,” said Ray Mabus, the U.S. secretary of the Navy, who attended the arrival ceremony.
The carrier will be accompanied in Yokosuka by the flagship of the 7th Fleet, USS Blue Ridge, as well as 10 other escort ships equipped with the AEGIS radar system. The Navy plans to forward deploy another two escort ships by 2017, bringing the total presence in Yokosuka to 14 vessels.
In another subtle move, the Navy is considering abolishing or relaxing the administrative boundary that separates the 7th Fleet, which covers the area west of Hawaii, and the 3rd Fleet, responsible for the area between Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. The aim is to involve the 3rd Fleet — which includes four aircraft carriers — more in the western Pacific, undoubtedly to add pressure to China. As a first step, the newly appointed commander of the 3rd Fleet, Vice Admiral Nora Tyson, rather than her 7th Fleet counterpart, will represent the Navy at the Japan Fleet Review held by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force on Oct. 18.
“The 7th Fleet and 3rd Fleet will work closer, and she (Tyson) will be spending more time out here. It shows our commitment to the shift to the Pacific,” said Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, the commander of the 7th Fleet. The Navy plans to deploy 60% of its 300 vessels in the Pacific by 2020.
The Nimitz-class Ronald Reagan is roughly 333 meters long, roughly the same as the height of Tokyo Tower. It serves 18,000 meals a day, including 205 loaves of bread, 100 dozen eggs and 250 gallons of milk. It has five dentists, five physicians, three chaplains and five gyms, as well a lifesize statue of Reagan, “the Gipper,” on board, which the crew members high-five when they pass it. The ship arrived in Yokosuka Thursday morning, accompanied by Japan’s new helicopter destroyer, Izumo.
Aircraft carrier arrives in Japan: US boosting naval presence in western Pacific
