The ship was named after America’s first president, who fervently believed within the necessity of a robust Navy.
Crew members, from those that served throughout the commissioning to those that participated within the many deployments spanning the world’s oceans, joined the celebration from close to and much as they recalled their service aboard the Navy’s sixth Nimitz-class plane provider.
“We are saying thanks to our crew previous and current from our plank house owners who first took our warship to sea, to our resilient warfighters right here on George Washington right now,” stated Capt. Brent C. Gaut, George Washington’s commanding officer. “The years since our warship’s commissioning symbolize not solely the times of arduous work and dedication put in by all who’ve served on board, but in addition stands as a solemn marker of the thrill, struggles, sweat, and at occasions even the tears of each crew member who has crossed the forehead.”
In a response to a social media submit encouraging plank house owners to share their fondest recollections from the ship, plank proprietor Aviation Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Kent B. Dave, who served aboard George Washington from 1991 to 1994, stated his proudest second is seeing his son serve aboard the identical vessel 25 years after he did.
Plank proprietor Knowledge Programs Technician 2nd Class Todd Meyer shared in his response to the submit that his fondest reminiscence from his time aboard was throughout the ship’s maiden deployment.
Simply two years after commissioning, George Washington set out on her maiden deployment the place she served because the backdrop off Portsmouth, England, for the fiftieth anniversary of the D-Day commemoration ceremony, earlier than deploying to reply to rising tensions between Iraq and Kuwait within the Center East. Between the years 1993 and 2000, the ship carried out a number of deployments all through the fifth and sixth Fleet areas of accountability (AOR).
In September 2001, George Washington was deployed to New York Metropolis to offer air protection following the September 11 terrorist assaults. A bit of metal from the fallen Twin Towers stays on show within the Chiefs Mess as a solemn reminder of the ship’s contribution to the nation’s safety. George Washington additionally had roles within the post-9/11 Conflict in Afghanistan and the Conflict in Iraq, collaborating in Operation Enduring Freedom in 2002 and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004.
In 2008, George Washington, with Provider Air Wing 17 (CVW-17) and Provider Strike Group Eight embarked, departed Norfolk for its new house port of Yokosuka, Japan, to grow to be the primary nuclear-powered plane provider to be forward-deployed. Throughout the identical trans-Pacific voyage, tragedy struck as a fireplace broke out aboard the ship. George Washington was redirected to San Diego following firefighting efforts at sea to endure repairs. The ship departed San Diego in August and arrived in Yokosuka in September.
“While you take a look at what this ship has achieved in its first 30 years, you must take a look at every Sailor, who at each vital milestone within the ship’s historical past has left behind a legacy that we stock on right now,” stated Command Grasp Chief Christopher R. Zeigler. “Not one of the ship’s many successes would have been attainable with out the women and men who swore an oath to guard our nation regardless of the place the ship was deployed.”
All through 2009, George Washington went underway within the Pacific and Indian Oceans a number of occasions and took part in numerous operations with allied navies. In 2010, the ship carried out operations with the Republic of Korea’s navy and air drive within the Sea of Japan.
Following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Fukushima, Japan, George Washington left Yokosuka as a precautionary measure to make sure sustained readiness in assist of Japan and to help in catastrophe aid efforts. In 2013, the ship and air wing deployed to the Philippines after Hurricane Haiyan to broaden search and rescue operations, present medical care, and ship provides utilizing its embarked helicopters.
In July 2015, George Washington participated in Talisman Sabre, an train that concerned round 30,000 U.S. and Australian service members. Protection forces from New Zealand and Japan additionally took half within the train for the primary time.
The ship then transited again to San Diego to finish the first-ever three-carrier hull swap involving 9,000 Sailors and the carriers USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 72). After departing San Diego en path to Virginia, George Washington was diverted to serve alongside the hospital ship USNS Consolation (T-AH-20) to offer humanitarian aid to Haiti after Hurricane Matthew.
George Washington entered dry dock at Newport News Shipbuilding in August 2017 to begin Refueling and Advanced Overhaul (RCOH), turning into the sixth Nimitz-class provider to endure this main mid-life milestone. After years of upgrades, refurbishments, and testing, the ship is scheduled to finish RCOH in 2023.
“Thirty years is a large milestone in a warship’s historical past, however for George Washington, it’s only the start of our subsequent chapter,” stated Gaut. “The crew onboard George Washington right now stay up for finishing our shipyard interval and getting our warship again out to sea to guard and serve this nice nation.”
