Key Points and Summary – USS George Washington (CVN-73) is the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed carrier, homeported in Yokosuka to anchor 7th Fleet operations across the Indo-Pacific.
-The Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered flattop fields ~90 aircraft (F-35C/F-18, E-2D, helos), exceeds 30 knots, and supports combat, deterrence, and humanitarian missions—seen after Japan’s 2011 quake and Typhoon Haiyan.
-GW endured a devastating 2008 fire and an extensive Refueling & Complex Overhaul (2017–2023) that ran nearly two years late, producing harsh shipyard living conditions and a tragic cluster of sailor suicides, prompting Navy reforms.
-With RCOH complete, GW has returned to Japan—larger crew turnover behind it—resuming deterrence and crisis-response duties.
USS George Washington, The Only Forward Deployed Aircraft Carrier
The USS George Washington (CVN-73) is a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the sixth in its class, and the fourth US Navy vessel named after the first U.S. president.
As the U.S. Navy’s sole forward-deployed aircraft carrier, based in Yokosuka, Japan, it serves a critical role in the Indo-Pacific region, operating with the U.S. 7th Fleet.
Aircraft carriers are the centerpiece of America’s Naval forces and are invaluable as the nation’s power projection symbols. On any given day, aircraft carriers exercise the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Navigation Directions of Warfighting First, Being Ready, and Operating Forward.
The largest warships in the world (until the Ford-class arrived), Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, support and operate aircraft that engage in attacks on airborne, afloat, and ashore targets that threaten the unrestricted use of the sea, and conduct sustained power projection operations in support of U.S. and coalition forces.
The aircraft carrier strike groups also engage in maritime security operations to interdict threats to merchant shipping and prevent the use of the seas for terrorism and piracy. Aircraft carriers also provide unique capabilities for disaster response and humanitarian assistance.
Meet the “GW”
The USS George Washington (commonly known to its crew as GW) is 1,092 feet (333 m) long, 257 ft (78 m) wide, and 244 ft (74 m) high.
The super carrier can accommodate approximately 90 aircraft and has a flight deck of 4.5 acres (18,000 m²) in size, utilizing four elevators that are each 3,880 square feet (360 m²) in size to move planes between the flight deck and the hangar bay.
The GW displaces almost 99,000 tons with a combat load and can accommodate 6,250 crewmembers. Her four distilling units can produce 400,000 U.S. gallons (1,500,000 L) of potable water per day; the food service divisions serve 18,000 meals daily.
There are over 2,500 compartments on board requiring 2,520 refrigeration tons (8.6 MW) of air conditioning capacity (enough to cool over 2,000 homes).
The warship utilizes two Mark II stockless anchors, each weighing 30 tons, with each link of the anchor chain weighing 360 pounds (160 kg).
USS George Washington Armaments
It is currently equipped with two 20 mm Phalanx CIWS mounts and two Sea Sparrow SAM launchers.
One CIWS and one Sea Sparrow mount were removed to make way for two RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile launchers, installed during the 2005 Drydocking Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA).
The George Washington also carries 90 fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, including fighter jets such as the F-35C Lightning II and F/A-18 Super Hornets, as well as surveillance aircraft like the E-2D Hawkeye, and helicopters.
A specific Carrier Air Wing (CVW) is assigned for each deployment, but the carrier’s capacity allows for a variety of aircraft types essential for naval operations.
Nuclear Propulsion
The ship can reach speeds of over 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) and is powered by two Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors.
It has four 5-bladed propellers, each weighing 66,220 pounds (30,040 kg). The George Washington can travel more than 3,000,000 nautical miles (5,600,000 km; 3,500,000 mi) before needing refueling.
USS George Washington. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
USS George Washington History
The GW was deployed to New York City for air defense after the 9/11 attacks.
She participated in numerous operations in the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. In 2008, became the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be forward-deployed to Yokosuka, Japan.
The GW provided disaster relief in Japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami and in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan.
She suffered severe damage during a fire in 2008 that injured 37 sailors, but thankfully, there were no fatalities.
RCOH Drags Out Two Years Over Schedule
The GW completed an extensive Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) in May 2023, which extended nearly two years beyond schedule.
Typical RCOHs take four years, but the Washington was stuck in HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding for so long that the crew turned over three times while she was stuck in the shipyard. When they finally left port in May 2023, 85 percent of the crew had never been to sea.
Poor Living Conditions Lead To Several Suicides
The long, grueling RCOH that lasted for 2,117 days cost taxpayers $2.8 billion. But it cost the crew much more. Living conditions on board the aircraft carrier were so bad, with the area around the shipyard offering little in the way of food or mental healthcare, that the crew grew depressed.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service confirmed that from the time the carrier went into the yard in 2017 to the time it left in May 2023, 11 sailors died by suicide, and nine of the 11 sailors died by gunshot wounds to the head.
The Navy’s report on the suicides recommended limiting the time young sailors spend in the yard.
The GW is now back in Japan, home-based at Yokosuka.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
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