USS Wasp Departs 7th Fleet Area of Operations

OKINAWA,
Japan — The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) departed U.S. 7th Fleet
area of operations as part of a scheduled homeport shift on Sept. 4, the ship’s
public affairs office said in a release.

Wasp,
which replaced USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of
operations in January 2018, operated with U.S. Marine Corps forces from the III
Marine Expeditionary Force and helped expand the relationships the U.S.
military maintains with allies and partners in the region.

“The
performance by the Wasp crew has quite simply been superb,” said Rear Adm. Fred
Kacher, who is commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 7.

“Over the
last two years, no ship in the Navy has been asked to do more than USS Wasp,
and the ship delivered in every way. The officers and crew rose to every
challenge, and we could not have asked for a better flagship to operate in the
most important and dynamic area in the world.”

As part of
the U.S. 7th Fleet’s forward deployed naval forces in Japan, Wasp made history
as the first U.S. Navy ship to deploy with the the F-35B Lightning II strike fighter,
which began operating onboard with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in March 2018.

“It has
been a profound honor for Wasp and her crew to serve 7th Fleet and its
ancillary commands during this time,” said Wasp’s commanding officer, Capt.
Gregory Baker. “Our Sailors have embraced the experiences and opportunities
available in this part of the world and are more operationally prepared to
continue supporting and executing the missions we are presented with. I
couldn’t have asked for a more dedicated or capable crew.”

President Trump
visited the ship and crew during his tour of Japan, becoming the first U.S.
president to visit the ship, and he extended accolades to the crew for their
accomplishments. Wasp participated in exercise Balikatan with the Philippine
military and exercise Talisman Sabre with the Australian Defence Force and
additional forces from Japan, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The
ship also engaged in partnership missions designed to enhance interoperability
with numerous partners and allies supporting security and stability in the
Indo-Pacific region.

“What our
Wasp Sailors have accomplished here over almost two years, given the
operational tempo, and the nature of our multipronged mission, is overwhelming,
and it’s difficult not to constantly shine with pride,” said Wasp Command
Master Chief Kevin Guy, who also noted that more than half the ship’s company
had been geo-bachelors during the ship’s tenure in Japan.

“When you
consider that we have a large number of Sailors thousands of miles away from
their families and friends — their level of dedication under these
circumstances truly exemplifies the Navy core values of honor, courage and commitment.”

The Navy announced earlier this year that Wasp will be replaced by the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), which will be accompanied by dock landing ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18). USS America is scheduled to become part of the U.S. 7th Fleet forward-deployed naval forces in Sasebo, Japan, later this year.

The 7th Fleet spans more than 124 million square kilometers, stretching from the international date line to the India/Pakistan border, and form the Kuril Islands in the north to the Antarctic in the south. Encompassing 36 maritime countries, about 50 percent of the world’s population also falls within its area of responsibility.