History of USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) February 12, 1988: Construction of the ninth Nimitz class ship took place at Northrop Grumman Newport News, Va.,starting with the ship’s keel laying. March 4, 2001: Mrs. Nancy Reagan christens the ship on March 4, 2001. July 12, 2003: USS Ronald Reagan was commissioned during an 11 a.m. ceremony at Norfolk Naval Station. Vice President Richard Cheney delivered the ceremony’s principal address while Nancy Reagan, wife of the ship’s namesake, served as the ship’s sponsor. May 27, 2004: USS Ronald Reagan departed Naval Station Norfolk to circumnavigate South America on its way to its new homeport of San Diego. January 4, 2006: USS Ronald Reagan departed San Diego for her maiden deployment to conduct naval operations in support of the Global War on Terrorism. This included supporting the missions Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. May 29, 2006: USS Ronald Reagan and Carrier Air Wing Fourteen concluded military operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. CVW 14 launched more than 6, 100 sorties, totaling more than 19, 600 flight hours, more than 2, 940 sorties and 14, 200 flight hours have been in direct support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. January 27, 2007: USS Ronald Reagan departed San Diego for a surge deployment in the western Pacific, under the Navy’s Fleet Response Plan (FRP), while USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) undergoes scheduled maintenance in Yokosuka, Japan. This is the same year the ship was awarded the 2006 Battle “E” for Pacific Fleet Carriers. USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group and USNS Safeguard (T-ARS 50) arrived off the coast of Philippines to provide Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to victims of the Typhoon Fengshen and to help in salvage operations for the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars. The 24,000-tonne ferry was carrying 864 passengers and crew when it sank off Sibuyan Island, 300 kilometer south of Manila, at the height of a typhoon. November 2007: USS Ronald Reagan returned to San Diego after a six- month deployment. The aircraft from CVW-14 launched more than 1150 sorties in support of ground forces in southern Afghanistan. May 28, 2009: USS Ronald Reagan departed homeport for a scheduled western Pacific and Middle East deployment. This year, the ship won its second Battle “E” for 2008 by outperforming all the Pacific Fleet Carriers. October 2009: The aircraft carrier completed operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet launching more than 1,600 sorties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. June 2, 2010: USS Ronald Reagan departed homeport to conduct flight deck certification with the CVW-14 and also won its 3rd Battle “E” for combat efficiency in a four year period. June 9, 2010: USS Ronald Reagan anchored in the approach to Esquimalt harbor, near Victoria, British Columbia, to participate in the Canadian Naval Centennial Pacific Fleet Review, commemoration the 100th birthday of the Canadian Navy. USS Sampson (DDG 102), USS Chosin (CG65) and USS Ford (FFG 54) were also participating. June 16, 2010: USS Ronald Reagan departed San Diego again after picking up members from CVW-14, to conduct Tailored Ships Training Availability (TSTA) and to participate in biennial exercise Rim of the Pacific 2010, off the coast of Hawaii. June 28, 2010: The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier arrived in Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for the first (in port) phase of 22nd RIMPAC. Thirty-two ships, five submarines, more than 1700 aircraft and 20,000 personnel were participating. The RIMPAC exercise allowed Reagan to test its Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) launcher weapons system for the first time since 2007. November 9, 2010: While under way for Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) off the West Coast, CVN 76 was diverted to a position south, to facilitate the delivery of needed supplies to the c/v Splendor. The Carnival cruise ship reported it was dead in the water, 150 nautical miles southwest of San Diego, and requested assistance from the Coast Guard. February 2, 2011: USS Ronald Reagan CSG departed San Diego for a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 5th and 7th fleet Areas. March 11, 2011: USS Ronald Reagan CSG, USS Essex (LHD 2), USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), USS Germantown (LSD 42) and USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) were ordered to head to Japan and render disaster relief, if called upon, in the wake of a catastrophic magnitude 9.0 earthquake that left thousands dead. Two days later CVN 76 arrived on station off the east coast of Honshu to serve as an afloat platform for refueling Japan Self Defense Force and other helicopters involved in rescue and recovery efforts ashore. September 2011: USS Ronald Reagan returned to San Diego after a seven-month deployment. January 6, 2012: USS Ronald Reagan departed San Diego for a 12-month, $210 million worth, Docking Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS&IMF) in Bremerton, WA. March 2013: The ship completed the availability and made her way back home to San Diego, CA. Upon Returning to San Diego USS Ronald Reagan entered her Training and Qualification Cycle. October 2013: USS Ronald Reagan was named the Surge Carrier and is ready to respond to any call. January 2014: The ship is slated/scheduled for homeport shift from San Diego, CA to Yokosuka, Japan in August 2015 August 31, 2015: USS Ronald Reagan began its journey to the 7th Fleet Area of Responsibility to take over as the Navy’s only Forward Deployed Aircraft Carrier. October 2, 2015: USS Ronald Reagan arrived at its new homeport in Yokosuka, Japan. April 19, 2017: Vice President Mike Pence visited USS Ronald Reagan. June 7-16, 2018: USS Ronald Reagan participated in Malabar 2018 exercise with Japanese Self-Defense Forces and India near Guam. July 11, 2019: Participated in 2019 Exercise Talisman Saber off Australia’s east coast to illustrate the closeness of the Australian and U.S. alliance and the strength of the military-to-military relationship. June 26, 2021: Deployed to the Middle East to help assist in Operation Allies Refuge by facilitating the safe transit of more than 7,000 U.S. citizens and evacuees. August 2, 2022: Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan. Reagan deploys in the vicinity of Taiwan in response to missile launches conducted by China. March 29, 2023: Won 2022 Battle “E” for Pacific carriers. June 25, 2023: USS Ronald Reagan ports in Tien Sa port in Da Nang, Vietnam, the third visit a U.S. carrier has made to Vietnam since 2018. May 16, 2024: USS Ronald Reagan departed Yokosuka, Japan, after being homeported there for nine years, en route to its new homeport in Bremerton, Washington state. June 7, 2024: Participated in joint forces exercise Valiant Shield in the Philippine Sea. August 13, 2024: USS Ronald Reagan arrived at its new homeport in Bremerton, Washington.