Preparing for Pacific patrol

YOKOSUKA (AP) – Japan Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) Airman Trey Torvend, uses a deck crawler to strip hangar bay door tracks aboard the U.S. Navy's

forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. After its crew spent the past month conducting maintenance, the aircraft carrier departed Tuesday from Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, to patrol as flagship for its carrier strike group.