The aircraft carrier USS George Washington, seen here transiting Tokyo Bay on Oct. 30, 2025, departed Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on May 10, 2026, ahead of its annual patrol. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The aircraft carrier USS George Washington quietly departed the home of the U.S. 7th Fleet over the weekend, likely for sea trials ahead of its annual patrol.
The carrier, along with its crew of about 3,100 people, left Yokosuka around 10 a.m. Sunday, the Yokosuka city government said in a news release that day.
The Navy rarely discusses ship movements publicly, but it regularly notifies the Japanese government when a nuclear-powered ship — aircraft carriers or submarines — arrive or depart Yokosuka city.
Spokespeople for 7th Fleet did not respond to Stars and Stripes’ phone and email requests on Monday for comment.
Aircraft carriers typically undergo sea trials for about a week prior to a deployment to evaluate the ship and its crew, a cruise that may include high-speed turns, anchoring trials and tests of the ship’s defense systems.
Once it completes its sea trials, the carrier typically returns to Yokosuka for several days before departing again on its annual patrol. Deployments for 7th Fleet aircraft carriers have lasted about six months, typically with a brief return to Yokosuka halfway through.
The George Washington has completed one deployment since returning to Japan in late 2024.
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington, seen here transiting Tokyo Bay on Oct. 30, 2025, departed Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on May 10, 2026, ahead of its annual patrol. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
Air crews with Carrier Air Wing 5, the carrier’s dedicated wing based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, also prepare with their own qualifying event ahead of deployment.
Pilots and crew of fixed-wing aircraft such as F/A-18 Super Hornets and EA-18 Growlers began 10 days of carrier landing practice Thursday on Iwo Jima, also known as Iwo To, according to a schedule announced April 30 by U.S. Naval Forces Japan.
Naval aviators have practiced carrier landings on the remote island since 1991. The Navy considers Iwo Jima unsuitable for training due to difficulty in maintaining its remote facilities and a lack of alternate landing fields.
Senior pilots will fly at least six sorties — three during the day and three at night — and complete seven to eight touch-and-go landings. Junior pilots will undergo more extensive training and may complete 12 or more touch-and-goes per sortie.
