USS George Washington visits Jacksonville ahead of South America deployment

MAYPORT, Fla. — The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington visited Naval Station Mayport Tuesday, before leaving for a deployment over the next few months.

Around 3,000 sailors are getting ready to head to South America.

“They are going to visit Rio, so they are going to Brazil, they are going to get to go to Chile, also to Peru,” Rear Adm. Jim Aiken, Commander U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet said.

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“The crew is excited,” said Captain Tim Waits, Commanding Officer on the USS George Washington. “This is a whole adventure for us.”

On board the USS George Washington there are between 70 and 80 aircraft, one of which is an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Capt. Waits said the USS George Washington was the first aircraft carrier he landed on.

“It’s special for me to be back here as commanding officer of this ship,” Capt. Waits said.

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Another part of this deployment is the maritime partnerships.

Rear Adm. Jim Aiken, Commander, U.S. 4th Fleet said they will build on the partnerships they’ve developed.

“We have an embarked international staff from folks from 10 different countries, so it is a great opportunity for us to work with our partners and allies,” Rear Adm. Aiken said.

The aircraft carrier is set to leave Jacksonville sometime Wednesday.

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