Photo By Tech. Sgt. Christopher Hubenthal | A U.S. Navy E-2C Hawkeye lands aboard the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Sept. 12. The USS...... read more read more
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USS RONALD REAGAN, Pacific Ocean - The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) continues heading to Yokosuka, Japan, its new homeport, Sept. 12, after conducting a three-carrier hull swap with the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) and the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) as part of a force structure change. The three-carrier swap, the first of its kind, was part of a planned homeport shift.
The purpose of the hull swap was to maintain a forward deployed aircraft carrier as part of the rebalancing strategy in an effort to support the security, stability, and prosperity of the Indo-Asia Pacific region and U.S. allies.
“The Navy has made a commitment to keep naval forces forward deployed and were going to meet our obligation to keep a carrier in Japan,” said Master Chief Personnel Specialist Bryan Williams, assigned to the USS Ronald Reagan. “The Reagan was the one best suited to swap with the George Washington.”
Approximately 1,500 crew members from the Ronald Reagan and 1,500 crew members from the George Washington changed ships and relocated mission equipment during the 10-day hull swap at Naval Air Station North Island, California, Aug. 10.
“It was heavy lifting,” Williams said. “Each individual was required to pack up shops and pack up berthings, and take it from ship A to ship B. It was basically ten days pier side of each ship, with each berthing and each individual sailor being orchestrated from moving to ship A to ship B. One thing that was involved with that was not only moving ships and government equipment but moving personal effects and stuff required for them to maintain their quality of life and living arrangements for their next ship.”
The hull swap enabled sailors to quickly change assignments and provided some other benefits for the U.S. Navy.
“I believe that the advantage is saving money,” said Information Systems Technician 1st Class Monica Bolton, Combat Systems Department leading petty officer assigned to the USS Ronald Reagan. “It eliminates errors. You don’t have to worry about as much cost and you don’t have to worry about as much headache because everybody is going at one point instead of trying to find plane tickets or flights to actually move.”
The crew of the Ronald Reagan, George Washington, and Theodore Roosevelt were able to make a smoother transition in support of their unique missions as a result of the hull swap. The USS Theodore Roosevelt is operating in 5th Fleet and afterward will head east through the 7th Fleet’s area of operations before arriving to its new homeport at Naval Base Coronado, California. The George Washington is set to undergo maintenance in Newport News, Virginia as part of its mid-life refueling and complex overhaul.
| Date Taken: | 09.12.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 09.17.2015 17:04 |
| Story ID: | 176442 |
| Location: | USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76), PACIFIC OCEAN |
| Web Views: | 906 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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