U.S. aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk to return to Yokosuka Wed

Japan Policy & Politics, June 10, 2002

YOKOSUKA, Japan, June 3 Kyodo

The U.S. aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk will return to its home port of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday after a nearly two-month tour of duty in the western Pacific, the U.S. Navy said Monday.

The 83,960-ton Kitty Hawk, which left its home port on April 15 as part of a fleet of five warships, engaged in a series of military training exercises in the western Pacific with navies of allied countries to prepare for possible military emergencies.

The carrier will return to Yokosuka after making port calls in Hong Kong and Singapore.

The Kitty Hawk, part of the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet, carries about 75 aircraft, including fighter jets, and has a crew of 2,800. It can accommodate abut 5,500 people, including flight crews.