Thursday, January 23, 2003

- Will Nuclear Ship be located in Japan?

U.S. Navy and Japanese officials are denying a Yomuiri Shimbun newspaper report that an agreement has been reached for the first time to allow a U.S.  Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be based at Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture. It would be the first time for such a vessel to be permitted to be based in Japan. The USS Kitty Hawk, currently stationed at Yokosuka, will be decommissioned in 2008. The U.S. Navy had asked Tokyo to allow it to dispatch a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to replace the Kitty Hawk to strengthen the U.S. 7th Fleet, which covers the western Pacific and Indian oceans.

To date, three U.S. Navy aircraft carriers—Midway, Independence and Kitty Hawk—have used Yokosuka as their home port. All are powered by conventional steam turbines. Japanese government sources said a newly built aircraft carrier scheduled to go into service in 2008 is a likely candidate.

Original location of this report
http://starbulletin.com/2003/01/19/news/