USS George Washington Leaves Yokosuka for Post-Maintenance Sea Trials

U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, departed from Yokosuka, Japan, for a post-maintenance underway over the weekend of May 9-10, 2026, Japanese media reported. The sixth Nimitz-class carrier completed her last deployment in December 2025, returned to Yokosuka and then underwent maintenance.

Forbes reported that the supercarrier may be undergoing sea trials that could last about a week in advance of her next deployment, which could begin later this summer. U.S. Navy rarely discusses ship movements publicly but regularly notifies the Japanese government when a nuclear-powered ship arrives or departs Yokosuka, Stars and Stripes reported.

Carrier Air Wing 5 began 10 days of field carrier landing practice drills on Iwo Jima at the same time. Those drills continue through May 17, 2026. U.S. aircraft carrier landing practice is essential training for pilots to obtain carrier landing qualifications.

U.S. U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviators for carrier duty. CVW-5’s fixed-wing aircraft participating in the training include the F-35C Lightning II, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler, and E-2D Hawkeye.

If weather or unforeseen circumstances affect training at Iwo Jima, it can be conducted at Misawa Air Base, Yokota Air Base, Naval Air Facility Atsugi, or Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, the Japan Ministry of Defense announced. Deployments for 7th Fleet aircraft carriers have lasted about six months, typically with a brief return to Yokosuka halfway through, Stars and Stripes reported.

U.S. Navy forces are permanently stationed at foreign overseas bases to enable faster response to regional threats and foster partnerships with allies. U.S. Navy established a presence at Yokosuka following the end of the Second World War.

The importance of the Yokosuka base became evident during the Korean War in 1950. USS Midway became the first forward-deployed aircraft carrier following an accord between Tokyo and Washington in August 1972. The USS George Washington replaced USS Kitty Hawk as the forward-deployed carrier nearly 20 years before 2026.

The USS George Washington was relieved by USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) in 2014 as the forward-deployed carrier. U.S. law limits a warship's forward deployment to no more than a decade. The USS George Washington arrived in Yokosuka in November 2024 after sailing from Norfolk, Virginia.

The USS George Washington underwent a refueling and complex overhaul that lasted more than 2,100 days or nearly six years, according to HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding. Nine sailors died by suicide during the USS George Washington’s RCOH process. The RCOH for USS George Washington involved more than 25 million man-hours, HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding reported.

CVN-73 and CVN-76 conducted a hull swap in San Diego over the summer of 2024. The USS George Washington’s deployment began on June 10, 2025, and it returned to Yokosuka on August 30, 2025. The USS George Washington resumed patrol on September 30, 2025, and its patrol concluded on December 11, 2025.