Japanese Guests Board USS George Washington

The U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) hosted Japanese guests and command ombudsman for a daylight embark, Sept. 4.

Honorable Seijiro Kasama, mayor of Ayase, Japan; Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Rear Adm. Tatsuya Futakawa, commander, Fleet Air Wing Four; and Capt. John Bushey, commanding officer, U.S. Naval Air Facility Atsugi were among the 22 guests who spent the day aboard George Washington.

The distinguished visitors joined the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier during its patrol of the Indo-Asia-Pacific region to experience shipboard life and gain a general orientation of the ship’s mission in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.

The guests toured the ship’s mess decks, navigation bridge, and even had the opportunity to observe flight operations during the visit.

George Washington recently departed its forward-operating location of Fleet Activities, Yokosuka, Sept. 2, and is currently participating in carrier qualifications with its embarked airwing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5.