YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The aircraft carrier USS George Washington steamed out of Tokyo Bay on Saturday to start its second Indo-Pacific patrol since returning to the home of the U.S. 7th Fleet in 2024.

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The aircraft carrier USS George Washington steamed out of Tokyo Bay on Saturday to start its second Indo-Pacific patrol since returning to the home of the U.S. 7th Fleet in 2024. The carrier departed around 2 p.m. without fanfare, though about 70 family members gathered along the base’s shoreline to wave goodbye to their loved ones. The ship was initially slated to leave Friday, according to announcements posted on the Yokosuka city government’s website. For Jennifer Belviy and her children, it was a chance for one last wave goodbye to her husband, Cmdr. Jeremy Blanchette, a cryptologic warfare officer with Task Force 70. “We’re definitely going to miss him, but we’re looking forward to seeing him again soon,” she said at the shoreline. Ship spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Mark Langford confirmed the George Washington was underway for routine operations in the Indo-Pacific.  “Sailors were afforded time with loved ones so that we can now remain focused on safe operations at sea,” he wrote in an email about three hours after the carrier left port.  The carrier’s Memorial Day weekend departure came about one week after a brief underway period, likely for sea trials, May 10-17. Seventh Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Matthew Comer declined on May 12 to confirm whether that initial departure was a training period, citing operational security, but said “U.S. Pacific Fleet forces continuously operate at sea to sharpen our Sailors’ warfighting edge.” Carrier Air Wing 5, the ship’s aviation component, concluded 10 days of field carrier landing practice on May 17. The aircraft and their crews, based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni near Hiroshima, typically join the George Washington at sea. The carrier’s departure Saturday signaled the start of an approximately six-month patrol, which typically includes a brief return to Yokosuka around the halfway point for rest, repair and resupply. During its 2025 deployment between June and December, the George Washington made port calls on Guam, South Korea and the Philippines and participated in a variety of training, including Talisman Sabre in Australia. The carrier’s mid-deployment stop in October coincided with President Donald Trump’s tour of Asia. He addressed U.S. and Japanese troops from the ship’s hangar bay alongside Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. This year’s patrol begins as the Navy faces operational strain from the war with Iran. Two aircraft carriers — the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush — and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli are operating near the Arabian Sea, according to USNI’s May 18 Fleet Tracker. The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford returned May 16 to Naval Station Norfolk, Va., from the Middle East, concluding a 326-day deployment that included Operation Epic Fury and patrols in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Red seas. ALEX WILSON Alex Wilson covers the U.S. Navy and other services from Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. Originally from Knoxville, Tenn., he holds a journalism degree from the University of North Florida. He previously covered crime and the military in Key West, Fla., and business in Jacksonville, Fla. 

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Source – Stars and Stripes