With a deck full of embarked aircraft, including F-35C jets, the USS Theodore Roosevelt in Yokosuka, Japan, on Friday became the first non-resident U.S. aircraft carrier to visit the east-coast Japanese port in more than four years. Yokosuka is home to USS George Washington and the Navy’s only forward-based Carrier Strike Group.
Theodore Roosevelt in Yokosuka ahead of Keen Sword
Theodore Roosevelt and the cruiser USS Chosin entered the U.S. 7th Fleet area and arrived at Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka on the morning of October 16, according to the Navy. The strike group is slated to spend several days in port before taking part in Keen Sword 27, which 7th Fleet describes as a premier joint bilateral exercise to boost readiness and interoperability with the Japan Self-Defense Forces.
The stopover allows for maintenance, resupply, and liberty before resuming routine operations.
“Our crew is honored to visit Yokosuka and experience the rich culture and hospitality of Japan,” Capt. Will Mathis, Theodore Roosevelt’s commanding officer, said in a statement, adding that port visits are important for morale and mission readiness ahead of Keen Sword.
Theodore Roosevelt, flagship of Carrier Strike Group 9, sailed from San Diego in 19 days, skirting a typhoon in the Western Pacific, with Chosin and destroyer USS Decatur. The carrier will join Keen Sword while USS George H.W. Bush departed Thailand after a port call and returned to the Middle East, and USS Abraham Lincoln arrived home after nearly eleven months deployed.
A Navy official said the five-ship strike group is operating disaggregated, a common posture for multi-mission deployment. Public AIS data showed Theodore Roosevelt and Chosin linking up west of Hawaii with Pearl Harbor-based Decatur during the westbound transit.
Decatur reached Yokosuka the day after the carrier’s arrival.
USS Carl M. Levin, also Hawaii-based, was the first of the group to deploy on September 9 and is operating at an undisclosed location, according to official postings. USS Paul Hamilton departed San Diego on October 10 after loading ammunition at Bravo Pier and moored at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on October 15, AIS indicates.
Fleet oiler USNS Tippecanoe supported multiple replenishments en route, later entering the East Sea/Sea of Japan via the Tsugaru Strait before its AIS signal went dark.
Reports indicated the medium unmanned surface vessel Seahawk (2) deployed with the group, which would mark the first time a drone boat was assigned to a carrier strike group. Seahawk left Point Loma on October 8, more than ten days after Theodore Roosevelt, appeared on AIS in Hawaii for a brief stop, then continued west on October 16.
If Seahawk is attached to CSG 9, it remains disaggregated, and its participation in Keen Sword 27 is not confirmed.
Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao appeared to acknowledge the deployment during a panel at the Association of the United States Army convention, saying the Theodore Roosevelt strike group deployed on October 8 with a medium-sized unmanned surface vessel, characterizing it as a force multiplier. On that date, the carrier was already more than halfway to Japan.
The Secretary’s office did not respond to a request for clarification. A Navy official said Seahawk’s operations reflect ongoing efforts to integrate unmanned systems into fleet operations.
Abraham Lincoln’s homecoming
USS Abraham Lincoln returned to San Diego following a ten-and-a-half-month combat deployment, with spectators lining the channel and thousands more watching online. The CSG 3 flagship and its crew of over 5,000 Sailors and Marines were central to operations against Iran, first in Operation Epic Fury and then enforcing subsequent blockades, and set a modern-era record for most consecutive days at sea without a port visit.
Lincoln moored at Naval Air Station North Island’s Berth Lima on October 8, 321 days after deploying on November 21, 2025. Sailors in dress whites manned the rails as small boats and jet skis escorted the ship through San Diego Bay while families gathered on the pier.
The Navy said Lincoln’s deployment is the second longest of the modern carrier era, five days shy of the 326-day post-Vietnam record held by USS Gerald R. Ford. The carrier sailed more than 93,000 nautical miles, completed 72 replenishments at sea, received more than 20 million gallons of aviation fuel, and flew more than 14,000 sorties totaling 28,500 flight hours, according to official releases.
The Navy confirmed Lincoln surpassed USS Dwight D. Eisenhower’s pandemic-era mark of 206 consecutive days between port visits. Lincoln recorded 208 continuous days at sea between Guam and Oman, and 286 straight days between leaving San Diego and arriving in Thailand.
Operating across 7th Fleet and 5th Fleet, Lincoln led as CTF 50 in the northern Arabian Sea during Operation Epic Fury from February 28 for nearly 40 days. After major combat operations, the carrier enforced blockade lines during both subsequent rounds.
Carrier Air Wing 9 flew 14,037 sorties, including 4,000 combat missions, employing 1,499 precision weapons and dropping more than 1.37 million pounds of ordnance. A statement said the effort significantly degraded Iranian Navy capabilities.
Capt. J.W. Stigi, CVW-9 commander, said pairing F-35C stealth with fourth-generation strike and electronic attack platforms enabled the destruction of Iran’s conventional Navy and secured key maritime chokepoints.
Kill markings on Lincoln’s island indicate the strike group downed 106 one-way attack drones launched by the IRGC, destroyed 34 Iranian Navy and IRGC vessels, intercepted 23 inbound cruise missiles, and eliminated 10 enemy submarines. A Sailor said the group expended 1,463 air-to-ground munitions.
George H.W. Bush leaves Thailand for the Middle East
USS George H.W. Bush and destroyer USS Delbert D. Black departed Phuket on October 9 following a five-day liberty visit. Nearly 5,000 Sailors across the strike group took part in shore activities, the Navy said.
Capt. Justin T. Issler thanked Thailand for the welcome and said the crew looks forward to continued operations with allies in 7th Fleet.
Bush anchored roughly two nautical miles south of Ao Makham Deep Sea Port on October 4 after spending 187 straight days at sea. After leaving Phuket, the carrier ceased AIS transmissions and headed south at about 10 knots.
Official imagery confirmed the group’s return to 5th Fleet to support maritime security and stability, rejoining USS George Washington’s strike group as the second CSG in the region.
Destroyer USS Mason, the integrated air and missile defense commander for the group, made a port call in Singapore on October 5 and departed October 9, last tracked moving northwest in the Malacca Strait, likely to rejoin. Destroyers USS Ross and USS Donald Cook remained in 5th Fleet.
F-35C Lightning II operates from a Ford-class carrier
An F-35C made the first arrested landing and subsequent catapult launch on a Gerald R. Ford-class carrier, marking a key milestone for the Navy’s newest class. Lt. Cmdr. Robert Mason of VX-23 trapped aboard the future USS John F. Kennedy in the Western Atlantic on October 13, followed by the first catapult launch on October 14, according to official imagery.
VX-23, based at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, conducted Aircraft Compatibility Testing aboard Kennedy to evaluate launch and recovery systems, working with the F-35 Integrated Test Force and a specially instrumented jet. One aircraft carried an inert JDAM externally during testing.
The Navy took preliminary acceptance of Kennedy, still designated a Pre-Commissioning Unit, on September 29. This permits at-sea trials and crew proficiency while Huntington Ingalls Industries completes final checks ahead of expected delivery in spring 2027.
Kennedy got underway October 13 and returned to Norfolk three days later.
The lead ship USS Gerald R. Ford does not currently embark F-35Cs and requires upgrades to operate the type. Congress directed that Kennedy be outfitted to accommodate F-35Cs, contributing to additional delays for the program.
Big deck fleet at a glance with F-35C Lightning II
Three U.S. carriers are deployed, three are in workups, three are in maintenance, one is post-deployment, one is primarily serving as a training platform before deactivation next year, and another is slated for delivery in 2027. Two amphibious ready groups are deployed, one is forward-deployed, three are working up or in port, and three are in maintenance.
Note: Positions are approximate. Non-deployed LHA/LHD amphibious assault ships are not depicted.
Operating across 7th Fleet and 5th Fleet, Lincoln led as CTF 50 in the northern Arabian Sea during Operation Epic Fury from February 28 for nearly 40 days. After major combat operations, the carrier enforced blockade lines during both subsequent rounds.
Carrier Air Wing 9 flew 14,037 sorties, including 4,000 combat missions, employing 1,499 precision weapons and dropping more than 1.37 million pounds of ordnance. A statement said the effort significantly degraded Iranian Navy capabilities.
Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao appeared to acknowledge the deployment during a panel at the Association of the United States Army convention, saying the Theodore Roosevelt strike group deployed on October 8 with a medium-sized unmanned surface vessel, characterizing it as a force multiplier. On that date, the carrier was already more than halfway to Japan.
The Secretary’s office did not respond to a request for clarification. A Navy official said Seahawk’s operations reflect ongoing efforts to integrate unmanned systems into fleet operations.
Kill markings on Lincoln’s island indicate the strike group downed 106 one-way attack drones launched by the IRGC, destroyed 34 Iranian Navy and IRGC vessels, intercepted 23 inbound cruise missiles, and eliminated 10 enemy submarines. A Sailor said the group expended 1,463 air-to-ground munitions.
VX-23, based at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, conducted Aircraft Compatibility Testing aboard Kennedy to evaluate launch and recovery systems, working with the F-35 Integrated Test Force and a specially instrumented jet. One aircraft carried an inert JDAM externally during testing.
Carrier Air Wing 9 flew 14,037 sorties, including 4,000 combat missions, employing 1,499 precision weapons and dropping more than 1.37 million pounds of ordnance. A statement said the effort significantly degraded Iranian Navy capabilities. Capt. J.W. Stigi, CVW-9 commander, said pairing F-35C stealth with fourth-generation strike and electronic attack platforms enabled the destruction of Iran’s conventional Navy and secured key maritime chokepoints, echoing broader trends seen as armed drones become more central to modern naval warfare.