Bremerton, WA

Sailors aboard the USS Ronald Reagan received a warm welcome to its new home from family and the Navy community of Bremerton Aug. 13 after completing the vessel’s move to Naval Base Kitsap after its years-long homeport in Yokosuka, Japan.

The Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier departed May 16 from Yokosuka, where it had been homeported since 2015. After participating in a joint force training exercise in the Indo-Pacific and visiting a Guam port en route to the mainland, the Reagan arrived in San Diego to undergo a hull swap with the USS George Washington.

Commanding officer Capt. Daryle Cardone called it a passing of the baton to the Washington, which replaced the Reagan as of this month as the Navy’s sole forward-deployed Naval Forces-Japan aircraft carrier.