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Navy wants GW in Japan by late September

HONOLULU — The Navy aims to have the fire-damaged George Washington aircraft carrier arrive at its new home port in Japan in late September, the service’s top civilian said Friday.

Officials want to fix the ship before it arrives at Yokosuka Naval Base south of Tokyo, Navy Secretary Donald Winter said in an interview during a visit to Hawaii.

He said the structural repairs being done in San Diego are relatively minor, such as repainting. Ensuring the power and communication cables are inspected and certified is taking more time.

“The guys are making good progress on that,” Winter said. “Part of the issue is to make sure we have all of the electrical and data systems properly configured.”

The fire sparked concerns in Japan among those worried about the safety of the ship’s nuclear reactor. The George Washington will be the first Navy nuclear-powered vessel to be permanently stationed in Japan.

The ship was originally due to arrive in August to replace the Kitty Hawk, which is being decommissioned.

But flames erupted near the ship’s auxiliary boiler room in May as the ship was transiting from Chile to San Diego.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. It originated near the auxiliary boiler room in the aft of the ship and spread through a passageway for cables.

The Navy said the damage was made worse by improperly stowed flammable materials.

One sailor suffered minor burns and 23 others complained of heat stress from the flames. They have all returned to duty.

The fire didn’t break out near the ship’s nuclear reactor and didn’t threaten the safety of the power source.

Even so, about 13,000 protesters gathered at a park near Yokosuka last Sunday to demonstrate against the ship. Some 250 residents have filed a lawsuit seeking to block the carrier from coming to Japan.

People in Japan, the only country to suffer from atomic bombings, tend to be sensitive about the military use of nuclear technology. The U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 killed at least 200,000.

Winter said the Navy was comfortable with its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier safety record, and with the way the vessels are maintained and designed.

“It’s important to recognize none of this was related to, or impacted, any of the nuclear components on the ship. That’s not what’s going on here,” he said.

“We do not see (the aircraft carriers) as posing any risk whatsoever to Japan,” he said.

Japan is the only place outside the U.S. where Washington permanently stations an aircraft carrier.

Winter was visiting Hawaii to observe ongoing Rim of the Pacific international maritime drills.

He also presided over a ceremony marking the centennial anniversary President Theodore Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet.

Roosevelt sent 16 U.S. battleships sailing around the world from 1907-1908 in a demonstration of American sea power. The vessels arrived in Pearl Harbor this week 100 years ago.