USS Ronald Reagan coming to Bremerton in 2012

Published 5:02 pm Friday, January 28, 2011

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan will undergo about 12 months of repair and maintenance at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard beginning January 2012, according to a statement from U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Belfair.

The carrier, commissioned in 2003 and currently homeported in San Diego, will complete a series of scheduled repairs during the ”docking planned incremental availability” at the shipyard.

While the ship is in port, the Navy will change the homeport assignment for the crew of 158 officers and 2,895 sailors, representing an annual payroll of $225.8 million.

The arrival of the USS Reagan will coincide with the departure of the USS Nimitz which is currently under repair at the shipyard. The move will extend to two years the time during which Bremerton will be home to two aircraft carriers. The USS John C. Stennis remains homeported in Bremerton.