USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier arrives in Bremerton

USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) arrived in Bremerton Tuesday afternoon, becoming the second Nimitz-class aircraft carrier now based in Naval Base Kitsap, joining the USS Nimitz (CVN 68).

The last time Ronald Reagan came to Puget Sound was in 2012 when the warship conducted a 12-month planned docking incremental availability at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. The ship finished the maintenance and returned to San Diego in 2013. Since 2015, the carrier had been forward deployed to Japan and served as the U.S. Navy's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, operating in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility.

On May 16, the Ronald Reagan said farewell to Japan . The warship joined the multinational training exercise Valiant Shield 2024 in Indo-Pacific and did a port visit in Guam in June. In July, the ship arrived at Naval Magazine Indian Island shortly before heading to San Deigo to conduct a hull swap with USS George Washington (CVN 73) for several weeks.

During the hull swap, the embarked Air Wing and Staffs, including Carrier Air Wing 5 (CVW 5) and Destroyer Squadron 15 (DESRON 15) crossed deck to the George Washington. About 350 sailors, or 13% of the Ronald Reagan crew, swapped with the George Washington sailors, bringing their Indo-Pacific and forward deployed experience to the new forward-deployed ship, according to a statement from the Navy on July 25.

Beginning August 1, the George Washington replaced the Ronald Reagan as the Navy’s only forward-deployed Naval Forces-Japan (FDNF-J) aircraft carrier, according to the statement.

After its arrival at Naval Base Kitsap, the Ronald Reagan will conduct a scheduled docking and planned incremental availability period at PSNS.

Bremerton is now the homeport of the Ronald Reagan and the USS Nimitz. The last time the Navy city became homeport of two aircraft carriers was between 2021 and 2023, when the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) shifted from San Diego to PSNS to conduct a docking planned incremental availability in July 2021. The Theodore Roosevelt departed Bremerton in March last year.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier arrives in Bremerton