San Diego Bay will lose an amphibious assault ship this year but gain an equally brawny replacement as the Navy goes through a planned rotation of huge vessels that transport and deploy Marines, the Navy says.
The specific timing of the moves has yet to be released. But the USS America will leave Sasebo, Japan, for its new home in San Diego, while its sister ship the USS Tripoli moves from San Diego to Sasebo.
It’s common for the Navy to change its line-up of ships stationed in Japan, its biggest ally in the Indo-Pacific.
The USS America is the namesake of a class of amphibious assault ships that carry helicopters and jets along with Marines. The 844-foot vessels are often referred to as “mini-carriers.” America is currently operating in the Philippine Sea, according to the US Naval Institute ship tracker. Tripoli has been operating off San Diego.
Carrier update: USNI also reports that the San Diego-based carrier USS Carl Vinson is operating in the western Pacific, accompanied by several surface ships, including the San Diego-based cruiser USS Princeton, the destroyer USS Sterett, which is also based here, and local two helicopter squadrons.
Did you serve on a Navy cruiser? The Union-Tribune is researching a story about Navy cruisers, a type of vessel that is being phased out of existence after more than 140 years of service. There are only three left in San Diego, the USS Princeton, the USS Chosin and USS Lake Erie. We would like to talk to readers who served on cruisers over the years. Email your thoughts and contact information to gary.robbins@sduniontribune.com
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