Upgraded nuclear powered George Washington will replace Kitty Hawk in Japan

A newly overhauled aircraft carrier George Washington will be home-ported in Asia. “The Navy has slotted George Washington to relieve Kitty Hawk in 2008 in Yokosuka,” a senior U.S. defense official told Navy Times.

The official announcement from the U.S. Navy is expected in the next few weeks, pending shifts in the massive restructuring plan known as the Quadrennial Defense Review.

“Navy is waiting until there’s closer understanding of how the QDR is coming until they make a final carrier force distribution,” the official said.

For years, Japanese officials refused home-porting a nuclear-powered carrier due to the American atomic bomb attacks in 1945 as well as other political and environmental concerns. Recent published reports also noted Japanese sensitivity to such ship names as Truman, the president who decided to drop the atomic bombs.

Such resistance put Navy planners in a bind. The conventionally powered Kitty Hawk was commissioned in 1961 and needs replacing, but there are no other viable non-nuclear carriers in the inventory.

But in late October, the U.S. announced its firm intent to replace a scrapyard-bound Kitty Hawk with a Nimitz-class carrier.

Current Navy planning positions five carriers on the East Coast and keeps six in the Pacific. With the QDR underway, further shifts are possible.

Certainly tied to the QDR are plans to retire the 38-year-old John F. Kennedy, the other non-nuclear carrier. Earlier in the year, federal lawmakers tied the Kennedy’s fate to QDR results, forcing the Navy to hold off retiring the ship until six months after the QDR concludes.

As Kitty Hawk winds down, George Washington has been gearing up. It’s reaching the end of a yard period in Newport News, Va., that began in January.

The GW is due to rejoin the fleet in early 2006.

Part of the decision to send the GW forward had to do with carrier maintenance schedules, according to a Navy source. The GW will leave the yard in mid-December, making it ready for deployment when Kitty Hawk is due to come out of Japan in the summer of 2008.

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I was kind of hoping that they would have choosen the George H.W Bush, which will enter service in 2008 I believe. It's half Nimitz and half CVX, or whats called a transitional carrier.

And what if japan refuse to allow it to be ported there ??

Originally posted by Harlequin
And what if japan refuse to allow it to be ported there ??

They won't. The Japanese have other problems to worry about.

Originally posted by jetsetter

Originally posted by Harlequin
And what if japan refuse to allow it to be ported there ??

They won't. The Japanese have other problems to worry about.

*Recent published reports also noted Japanese sensitivity to such ship names as Truman, the president who decided to drop the atomic bombs.*


Even with `other problems` i think they won`t allow a Nimitz class to home port there

Yeah... they ahve other things on their mind... I'am happy that the large Kittyhawk will be replaced my a nuclear carrier, cos I love nuclear...

The title of this thread on the recent post list cuts off the last few words; I rather expected a gigantic nuclear-powered George Washington constructed to replace our current executive administration.

I guess we can't have everything

They've spent the last two or three years talking about putting a carrier here or in Guam. They keep saying "We'll know on " and so far still not even close to a decision.

The George Washington was recently here for overhaul and maintnance. A huge undertaking.

I believe the George Washington will be stationed or ported out of Guam or such.

The sensitivity of the Japanese to Nuclear Power is somewhat ironic considering they themselves have nuclear power plants operating in their country. Also if history is correct they just in the last four years or so had a nuclear accident involving fuel processing uncontrolled going critical killing two or three people. This incident was very quickly covered up in the media and I have heard very little about it ..even within the trade it is covered up...obviously politically. Very intresting the method of fingerpointing and how it is politically tolerated as a free pass to play through.

I just dont buy into it politically..though I am aware that this is the nature of politics. Double standard..whoredom.

Thanks,
Orangetom

Originally posted by Harlequin
And what if japan refuse to allow it to be ported there ??

The Japanese government is ok with it, it's just the local city thats really trying to stop it.

Number of nuclear accidents aboard a U.S ship, ever = 0

Originally posted by NWguy83

Originally posted by Harlequin
And what if japan refuse to allow it to be ported there ??

The Japanese government is ok with it, it's just the local city thats really trying to stop it.

Number of nuclear accidents aboard a U.S ship, ever = 0

The japanese people NAD government have a problem with it , so having an accident free history doesn`t have anything to do with it

No Japan has signed off on it. Think it all the way through. The Kitty hawk is to be decommisioned. THe only carriers left in the USN will be nuclear. Something warm and cozy about having a a USN Carrier battle group home ported in your nation. What with North Korea and China playing thier games.

Japan is already going to get the X-Band radar as well as most of the frontline ABM stuff as well.

I can see it going to Guam and not japan.

Have you thought of public opinion? what if some ship captains decide to blokade the port? what will the carrier do? mow through them?? that would start fighting on the navy base


`us forces smash ships - are nukes next??` would read the headlines for the newspapers

About time they replaced the '#ty Kitty' with nuclear. I wonder how many refuelers it has to have with it to go on a cruise. I was on it about 10 years ago.

Originally posted by Harlequin
I can see it going to Guam and not japan.

What are the naval facilites like at Guam, could a carrier and her escorts be based there withouty spending billions to upgrade Port Facilities. I'm sure that it would cost a hell of alot more to base it in Guan rather than Japan.

Have you thought of public opinion? what if some ship captains decide to blokade the port? what will the carrier do? mow through them?? that would start fighting on the navy base

Hmm, well if the Japanese governemnt has given permission for it to be stationed there, then I'm sure they would move the Capain and his boat out of the way using the police.

Our police here make sure protestors don't get in the way of a US carrier when they come in for a stopover.

Guam cannot support a CSG. It would cost a lot of money to improve the harbor and port facilities. Not too mention Guam may not be able to handle 5,000 new residence.

They will have 1 in Japan, 1 or 2 in Hawaii, and the rest in CONUS.

And to the question about what would happen if Japanese boats formed a blockade. Let the Japanese Navy or Coast Guard deal with them. Thats a simple no brainer.

[edit on 20-11-2005 by NWguy83]

I have the feeling that we're gonna get one here. Guam might be better looking as far as placement to any conflict in Asia, but the support facilities aren't there. We've got a major airbase that used to belong to the Navy they can reopen, to put the air wing on, plus a major shipyard that already supports massive amounts of civilian and military work, newly rebuilt and expanding housing on the Navy base, etc.

i think one of the mean reason for that is to protect Taiwan from the dominance of China's growing sea might

but since that would make the US "look bad" so they call it "keep peacing" preventing japan to have war