NORFOLK, Va. — With the sun shining down Thursday morning, thousands of sailors were aboard the USS George Washington as it prepared to depart Naval Station Norfolk for Japan.
The ship will not return to Norfolk. It had been in Hampton Roads for years undergoing maintenance.
“Today’s a very special day for us," said USS George Washington Command Master Chief Randy Swanson.
Sailors were eager to get underway.
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“I’m looking forward to all the experiences," Petty Officer Second Class Lloyd Heggenberger said.
“I am extremely excited," said Petty Officer First Class Daniel Sanders.
The ship will stop in San Diego over the summer to meet up with the USS Ronald Reagan where the two ships will swap the majority of their crews.
“About Norfolk, I think the biggest thing that I’ll probably miss is the friendships that I’ve created here," Sanders said.
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The USS George Washington will take the USS Ronald Reagan’s sailors back to Japan where they came from, and most of those departing from Norfolk will return on the USS Ronald Reagan after the ship undergoes maintenance on the west coast.
This means Hampton Roads will temporarily lose around 3,000 sailors.
In January, when the USS Gerald R. Ford was returning to Norfolk from deployment, News 3 spoke to businesses about the impact having large numbers of sailors gone has.
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“Business has been a little slow," Custom Kutz Barbershop Owner Rodney McKiethan said.
“When one of those big ships pull out with their strike group, you feel it," said Calz's Pizza Owner Ben Herdlein.
For Heggenberger, this is almost a full-circle moment.
“I was on this boat after they had returned from Japan, and I’ve been on here for eight years," Heggenberger said. "It would’ve been nice to see it all the way through back to Japan, but I’m not too upset about having to stay stateside."
Sanders is part of the small group of USS George Washington sailors who will be going on to Japan instead of coming back.
He’ll be there for at least three years. His wife and kids will stay behind.
“It was a very difficult decision," Sanders said. "My kids look forward to visiting over there.”
Swanson said leaving Norfolk is a great opportunity for the sailors.
“This is going to be the first time for a lot of us to be away from our families, but to also do what we signed up to do,” he said.
When the USS Ronald Reagan and its crew will arrive in Norfolk has not been determined as of Thursday.
