Archive of Our Own

Faction:

Eagle Union

Class:

Nimitz-class Supercarrier (Theodore Roosevelt-subclass) (Aircraft Carrier in-game)

Background:

The sixth Nimitz-class carrier, and the third of the Theodore Roosevelt-subclass, USS George Washington was ordered on 27 December 1982 and the contract subsequently awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia. Her keel was laid down on 25 August 1986, she was launched on 21 July 1990, and christened on the same day by then-First Lady Barbara Bush, and was commissioned on 4 July 1992.

George Washington’s career began with a shakedown cruise and maiden voyage with Carrier Air Wing 7 (CVW-7) embarked, with her first operational deployment coming in 1994, where she sailed for the Adriatic to participate in Operation Deny Flight and Operation Sharp Guard, the no-fly zone and naval blockade campaign aimed against the nations of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, particularly those engaged in the Bosnian War. Later that year, GW would transit the Suez Canal, arriving in the Persian Gulf to support Operation Vigilant Warrior, the U.S.’ response to Iraqi troop deployments to their border with Kuwait. This operation ended in October when Iraqi forces withdrew. 

GW’s second deployment in 1996 would see the carrier return to the Adriatic in support of Operation Joint Endeavor, supporting NATO’s Implementation Force (IFOR) in carrying out the provisions of the Dayton Accords that ended the Bosnian War a year earlier. That same year, CVW-1 would be reassigned to George Washington, and would once again be deployed to the Middle East in response to Saddam Hussein barring UN weapons inspectors from carrying out assigned tasks. The crisis grew to such a point that GW, alongside sister ship USS Nimitz and British carrier HMS Invincible, was prepped to launch a bombing campaign against Iraq codenamed “Operation Desert Thunder.” The planned operation would be canceled when Saddam agreed to allow the UN to continue the inspections. In a twist of fate, by 1999, George Washington would indeed launch airstrikes against Iraq in support of Operation Southern Watch.

GW’s fourth deployment would be one closest to home, being sent to New York City to safeguard the area following the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001. This would be followed by a fifth deployment in June 2002 to the North Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch as well as Operation Enduring Freedom against the Taliban in Afghanistan. A sixth deployment, which began on 20 February 2004, would see GW conduct operations in the Persian Gulf, her planes participating in air strikes in support of coalition forces taking part in Operation Vigilant Resolve, also known as the First Battle of Fallujah.

On 28 January 2005, she entered the shipyard for Drydocking Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA). Many of the ship's systems were upgraded and maintenance was done to the hull. Her four jet blast deflectors were removed and upgraded to handle the increased heat generated by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. One defensive Phalanx CIWS mount and one Sea Sparrow launcher were replaced by two Rolling Airframe Missile launchers. During the 11 months she was drydocked, the crew contributed 20,000 hours of volunteer community service to the city of Newport News, Virginia. The work was completed on schedule, and George Washington returned to her home port of Norfolk on 17 December 2005.

On 1 December 2005, an announcement was made that George Washington was to replace the USS Kitty Hawk as the forward-deployed carrier, operating from her new homeport of Yokosuka, Japan. This made GW the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to ever be permanently stationed outside of the continental U.S. In an attempt to bridge relations with the Japanese public and explain her mission to the public, the U.S. Navy would publish a manga, titled “CVN-73,” detailing life aboard the supercarrier. 

George Washington and CVW-17 left Norfolk on 4 April for a scheduled two-month deployment to operate as part of U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM) "Partnership of the Americas". This deployment included counter-drug operations in the Caribbean Sea, crew exchanges and exercises with Latin American and South American navies, and port visits for the carrier and strike group, which consisted of the cruiser Monterey, the destroyer Stout, and the frigate Underwood. The first of these port visits took place from 14 to 17 April in St. Maarten, and Antigua from 15 to 18 May. She returned to Norfolk on 24 May.

On 7 April 2008, George Washington departed Norfolk with Carrier Strike Group 8 (CSG-8) and CVW-17 embarked for the trek to Japan. As she was too large to fit through the Panama Canal, she was to transit around South America en route to the Pacific. During this leg, GW participated in the 2008 Gringo-Gaucho maneuvers with Argentina’s Naval Aviation arm. The battle group also participated in SOUTHCOM exercises Partnership of the Americas and Unitas, a joint military exercise between the United States, Brazilian and Argentine navies. On 22 April 2008, George Washington arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for her first port visit to that country.

On 22 May 2008, as the ship was on the Pacific Coast of South America, a fire broke out, which injured 37 sailors, but fortunately no fatalities. The fire broke out in the ship's air-conditioning and refrigeration space and an auxiliary boiler room. The fire spread via a cableway and ventilation ducting and caused extreme temperatures in some parts of the ship. It took over twelve hours for the crew to contain and extinguish the fire, considered one of the worst non-combat fires to occur since the disastrous 1967 fire aboard USS Forrestal. The damage would be estimated at $70 million and the planned turnover of USS Kitty Hawk was delayed, with the meet-up to take place in San Diego rather than in Pearl Harbor.

A Navy investigation found that the "entirely preventable" fire had been caused by unauthorized smoking in a room where 115 US gallons (440 L) of flammable refrigerant compressor oil was improperly stored. The room was near the aft auxiliary boiler. The ship's damage control team took nearly eight hours to discover the source of the smoke and flames. By that time, the fire had spread to eight decks and 80 compartments, and destroyed miles of electrical and fiber-optic cables. The damage control department had been found deficient in three inspections between June 2007 and April 2008. Although the carrier's commanding officer started a program to remedy the team's training and performance in the month before the fire, the report found those efforts to have been insufficient. Admiral Robert F. Willard, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, noted in his investigation, "It is apparent from this extensive study that there were numerous processes and procedures related to fire prevention and readiness and training that were not properly functioning. The extent of damage could have been reduced had numerous longstanding firefighting and firefighting management deficiencies been corrected." Willard added that "Many crew members ... displayed courage and resolve in fighting the fires." On 30 July 2008, Willard relieved GW’s commanding officer (CO) Captain David C. Dykhoff and executive officer (XO) Captain David M. Dober of their duties, the former for “a loss of confidence in his ability to command and his failure to meet mission requirements and readiness standards” and the latter for “substandard performance.” Six other sailors received non-judicial punishments and four further sailors were found guilty of violating a lawful order and hiding hazardous materials in direct violation of safety regulations. The Navy’s Pacific Fleet refused to name the sailors punished however. They would however name Senior Chief Petty Officer Keith Hendrickson with his awarding of the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for leading a team that rescued four shipmates trapped by the fire deep in the interior of the ship.

After receiving their new CO & XO (Captain J.R. Haley and Captain Karl O. Thomas respectively) George Washington set sail for Japan on 21 August. The carrier arrived at Yokosuka, Japan on 25 September 2008, where she was met by several hundred local supporters and protesters. However controversy would continue to follow GW and her crew. In June 2009, the Navy revealed that 15 of the carrier's sailors were being expelled from the service for use of illegal designer drugs. On 2 July 2009, George Washington, accompanied by USS Cowpens, anchored on the Gage Roads of Perth. Her crew visited Fremantle and Perth. Local brothels recruited extra staff to cope with the increase in business. Crew members volunteered to complete community projects including cleaning, maintenance, and painting at organizations including PMH, a Salvation Army rehabilitation center, Perth Zoo and Cohunu Koala Park. This would be followed by another port call to Singapore for rest & relaxation leave (R&R) participating in community relations projects such as painting and landscaping at a local community center, children's center, special education school and an association for the disabled. Then was a goodwill visit to Manila before participating in the Indonesian Fleet review, alongside ships of 40 nations.

Following a refit and maintenance period, on 21 July 2010, GW arrived at Busan, South Korea for a port visit. This was followed by her participation in exercise Invincible Spirit in the Sea of Japan with the USAF, Republic of Korea Air Force and Republic of Korea Navy from 25 to 28 July 2010. Invincible Spirit was staged to improve combined operations capability and as a show of deterrence following the sinking of the South Korean corvette ROKS Cheonan months prior. On 8 August, GW stopped off the coast of Da Nang in Vietnam, noteworthy as it was the first time a U.S. aircraft carrier visited Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, and was done to celebrate 15 years of the normalization of relations between the U.S. and Vietnam. On 21 July 2010, she arrived at Busan, South Korea for a port visit and then participated in exercise Invincible Spirit in the Sea of Japan with the USAF, Republic of Korea Air Force and Republic of Korea Navy from 25 to 28 July 2010. Invincible Spirit was staged to improve combined operations capability and as a show of deterrence following the ROKS Cheonan sinking.

GW would be one of the ships that took part in disaster relief following the 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake and subsequent Tsunami. It was while she was docked at Yokosuka that the carrier detected radiation from the release of contaminants from the disabled Fukushima I nuclear power plant, and was ordered to leave port before schedule with a smaller than normal crew to avoid the radioactive plume. This decision rendered the crew of the GW unable to render aid to the Japanese people caught in the area. While at sea, the carrier made two visits to United States Fleet Activities Sasebo to exchange crew members and take on maintenance equipment. The ship returned to her berth at Yokosuka on 20 April 2011.

After redeploying on another training cruise, a 25 September 2011 video from the carrier uploaded to YouTube became a viral hit. In the video, two flight deck crewmen are almost hit by a landing F/A-18, which is waved-off shortly before landing on the deck where the crewmen are walking. This would be followed by a four-nation tour in the final weeks of 2011, with visits to Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong as well as two major exercises, covering 50,000 nautical miles across the western Pacific Ocean. In 2013, George Washington would participate in humanitarian relief operations as part of Operation Damayan, helping the victims of Typhoon Haiyan after it impacted the Philippines.

George Washington according to scheduled plans was supposed to receive her Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) in 2017. However, throughout much of the 2010s, there had been great difficulty in procuring the funding to do so. Several politicians seriously considered and even planned to have the supercarrier retire before her planned RCOH, largely in the belief that the Ronald Reagan (who would take over duties in Japan while GW underwent RCOH) would not diminish American interests in the region, while also saving money overall. Ultimately, the funding for George Washington’s RCOH would be approved in the Navy’s FY 2016 budget. As such, her final pre-RCOH deployment would begin in May 2015. She participated in Exercise Talisman Saber with the Royal Australian and New Zealand Navies before arriving at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego on 10 August. GW conducted a ten-day turnover period with USS Ronald Reagan before making the voyage to Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia. Although the RCOH was set to begin in fall of 2016, this was delayed due to GW’s emergency deployment to Haiti in October 2016 to provide humanitarian relief to Haiti following the landfall of Hurricane Matthew.

On 4 August 2017, George Washington entered the Dry Dock #11 at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia, for a four-year Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH). The work was expected to be completed by August 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic slowed progress to such a point that delays pushed the completion date to May 2023. This construction would be wrought with numerous controversies. In 2021 and 2022, there have been reported to have been ten cases of suicide to have occured on board the carrier, though of these, seven deaths were reported by the Navy, five reported as suicides. Initially, the Navy's response from Russell L. Smith, the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, was that things could be worse, “at least you're not in a foxhole,” and that the Navy was effectively unable to remedy the situation. However as the situation garnered greater media attention, the CO of the George Washington, Captain Brent Gaut announced that the ship will move 260 sailors “to an offsite barracks-type living arrangement on Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth,” in particular a Navy Gateway Inn and Suites hotel, beginning on 2 May 2022, with the number expanding by 50 beds per week. The move was confirmed by the Navy, stating that this will continue “until all Sailors who wish to move off-ship have done so.” Interviews with the ship’s crew and their families described the issue as “living at a construction site” as GW was docked for RCOH, and many sailors typically trained for shipboard duties were largely relegated to maintenance or cleaning while suffering from a lack of sleep. The Navy has opened an investigation into the command climate and culture on board George Washington in response to the suicides, but the results of these findings have not been released at time of writing.

Following the completion of her overhaul, George Washington would return to Japan, replacing Ronald Reagan as forward-deployed carrier once more. This decision was made following the passing of a new federal law in 2019, which limited the length of forward-deployed ships to ten years. GW departed Norfolk on 25 April 2024, participating in SOUTHCOM’s Southern Seas 2024 deployment en route to NAS North Island. There, the crews of George Washington and Ronald Reagan swapped ships. George Washington proceeded to Japan from there, arriving in her new homeport of Yokosuka, Japan on 22 November 2024. At time of writing she is currently stationed in her homeport.

Namesake:

CVN-73 is the fourth and current warship to be named in honor of the First President of the United States of America and perhaps its most well known founding father, George Washington. Born in the Colony of Virginia, one of the Thirteen Colonies that would make up the future United States, Washington became the commander of the Virginia Regiment, and served with distinction in the French and Indian War. Later elected to the colony’s House of Burgesses, Washington opposed what appeared to be the oppression of the American colonists by the British crown in the lead-up to the American Revolutionary War. When war did break out in 1775, Washington was appointed as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, directing a poorly equipped and organized force against one of the foremost powers of Europe. In this capacity, he would score a key early victory in the Siege of Boston in March 1776, but could not translate this success in the New York campaign, losing New York City that November. Washington’s famous crossing of the Delaware River would lead to victories in Trenton (December 1776) and Princeton (January 1777), followed by defeats in Brandywine & Germantown later in 1777. Washington was dogged by criticisms of low troop morale, low supplies and his command as the war continued, but those criticisms were dashed when he led a joint Franco-American Army to a decisive victory over the British in the Battle of Yorktown in 1781, securing American independence, which was confirmed in the 1783 Treaty of Paris.

Washington would serve as president of the 1787 constitutional convention that established America’s Constitution, and through the electoral college, was unanimously elected President of the United States in the 1788 and 1792 elections. As President, he implemented a strong, well-financed federal government while mediating the internal conflict between fierce rivals Thomas Jefferson (his Secretary of State) and Alexander Hamilton (his Treasury Secretary) and proclaimed a policy of neutrality following the 1789 French Revolution and the subsequent French Revolutionary Wars, all while supporting the Jay Treaty with Britain. Washington also set a number of precedents as President, many of which would endure to the present day, such as republicanism, a peaceful transfer of power, the style of “Mr. President” and the two-term tradition. A tobacco plantation owner for much of his life, Washington himself owned slaves, but grew to oppose the institution in his final years in office and life, and upon his death, freed the slaves he owned in his will.

In both scholarly and popular polls, Washington has generally been considered as America’s greatest President.

Rarity:

SSR

Stat Spread:

George Washington’s stat spread, much like the carriers of the Theodore Roosevelt group, is slightly higher than those of the Nimitz group of sisters in most respects. This however is irrelevant as her letter grade remains the same as the first group, sporting S-ranks in HP, Aviation and Anti-Air capabilities. Her speed remains a B-rank.

Abilities:

• Spirit of Freedom: Whenever enemy aircraft are launched, fire a salvo of RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles and Phalanx CIWS fire that deals heavy damage to enemy aircraft (damage is based on skill level) and has a chance of destroying any projectiles aimed towards the main fleet.
• Sons of Liberty: When this ship launches an airstrike, launch a unique Boeing F/A-18E and Mitsubishi F-2 airstrike with anti-ship missiles. Damage is based on skill level.
• Eagle Amidst Sakuran Skies: For every Sakuran ship (Sakura Empire, Sakura State, etc.) that sorties with this ship, increase this ship’s Aviation by 5% (8%) for a maximum of 25% (40%). If this ship sorties with at least three Sakuran ships, begin each battle with a preloaded airstrike.

Personality:

George Washington is defined by her patriotism, her desires to see the missions to wish she was tasked to be achieved. Although aware of her namesake’s messianic memorialization, she shows disinterest in such reverence, believing that she wishes to prove her worth through her own actions. Despite this, through her grandiosity she shows a strong presence amongst the Eagle Union girls, and even among her sisters with only Nimitz, Lincoln and Roosevelt that could rival that personality.

Quotes:

• Acquisition: I thank you for the warm welcome, Commander. I am the sixth Nimitz-class carrier, George Washington. I trust that you are a friend to liberty?
• Secretary (Idle) 1: We are soldiers, patriots even…but that doesn’t mean we should cast aside our title of “citizens” Commander.
• Secretary (Idle) 2: Be courteous to all, but intimate with few. It seems your status as an icon would make this difficult, wouldn’t it.
• Secretary (Idle) 3: Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness.
• Secretary (Idle) 4: Do not insult me with your claims of me using drugs or…prostitutes…
• Secretary (Touch): Do you usually act this casual with your subordinates, Commander?
• Secretary (Special Touch): I’d be mindful of where you put your hands on, Commander…
• Skill Activation: We need to decide which of us will have the privilege of survival.
• MVP: I am a whole different game than most, Commander. Remember that well!
• Affinity (Disappointed): If you were planning to screw me over, you have another thing coming, “Commander.”
• Affinity (Stranger): Great leaders do only what is necessary to achieve their goals. Knowing what must be sacrificed to achieve them. It is equally important to know if that sacrifice is worth it.
• Affinity (Friendly): Leadership isn’t a quality that comes from natural talent. It is something that is learned with time and effort, to make up for deficiencies in personality with knowledge and the will to win. 
• Affinity (Like): True patriots do what it takes to make the country better, while also recognizing that they must do so without enriching themselves over their nation. That is a road that only leads to being in the chains of others who think only of their own interests.
• Affinity (Love): My manner of living is plain. For as grandiose as others think of me as, I do what I feel I can do for the good of the Eagle Union, for the ships of this port, and most especially for you. If that is enough for me to earn your trust, then I shall continue forward to uphold the values my namesake set upon me.
• Oath: There are few things that I love in this world, Commander. But even those few things can ill compare to the love I feel for you. May the wishes of a nation continue to bless your future.
• Sortie (Nimitz): This is why many consider you to be the best of us, Big Sis.
• Sortie (Theodore Roosevelt): You’re one to talk about grandiose, Teddy.
• Sortie (John C. Stennis): Ethics is only good for politics and speeches. 
• Sortie (Abraham Lincoln): Hmm, so it seems, Lincoln.
• Sortie (Ronald Reagan): The Sakura Isles will be kind to you as it was to I.
• Sortie (Princeton and/or Princeton META): What would Saratoga do in this situation? Sing I guess?
• Sortie (Yorktown, Yorktown II and/or Yorktown META): It is an honor to fight alongside the ship named for my namesake’s greatest triumph.
• Sortie (North Carolina): Sometimes plainness is an exceptional quality too, Carolina.
• Sortie (Raleigh): I’ve not forgotten the basics, Raleigh. 
• Sortie (Vermont): Guns can only go as far as you allow it.
• Sortie (Montpelier): Time to let ‘er rip, Montie!
• Sortie (Tennessee): Strength alone isn’t gonna cut it these days.

Design:

George Washington is depicted as a woman in her mid-twenties with snow white hair that is tied in a ponytail that extends down to her lower back and livid (blue-gray) colored irises. GW’s attire is largely a return to the attire worn by those worn by the first-group Nimitz’s, adopting a design akin to the U.S. Navy Officer’s Uniform. This consists of a navy blue officer’s uniform jacket with a white blouse and navy blue long skirt with thin red trim, as well as a black combination cap based on those worn in the U.S. Navy. She wears slate gray stockings that glow in a honeycomb pattern, and steel grey shoes complete the attire. On her side, is a katana, a reference to GW being one of two Nimitz-class carriers to be (and the one currently) based in the U.S. Naval base in Yokosuka, Japan.

GW’s rigging, continues the same design philosophy of her predecessors in the Theodore Roosevelt subclass, a side-by-side configuration with the sides further split into two segments that are joined together by mechanical arms, showing they can be linked together to launch aircraft (and in reference to her and ships after her being assembled through modular construction). As always, each deck has the number “73” and the hull portion having her full hull ID number “CVN-73.” As common with the Nimitz sisters, she also has a runway attached along the top of a firearm. In George Washington’s case, and in a rare instance in that it is not based on a firearm used by the U.S. military, the firearm is based on the FN P90 Personal Defense Weapon (PDW).