The United States has one of its six West Coast-based aircraft carriers operating in the Western Pacific Ocean again following a two-month surge deployment in the Middle East.
And for the second time this month, all three Chinese aircraft carriers were underway simultaneously, including one near Taiwan, which China views as its breakaway province, and Japan, a major security treaty ally of Washington in Asia.
Meanwhile, an aircraft carrier sent by NATO member Italy was in the South China Sea, following an exercise with the U.S. and Australia.
Newsweek‘s weekly update maps U.S. and Chinese aircraft carrier movements in the strategic Indo-Pacific region. As of September 20, the locations of at least nine ships were publicly available via military disclosures or open-source satellite imagery. The U.S. Navy has the world’s largest aircraft carrier fleet with 11 in service. China ranks second with three ships.
U.S. Navy
USS Theodore Roosevelt: South China Sea
Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Ryan Holloway/U.S. Navy
The Theodore Roosevelt returned to the South China Sea following an eastbound transit in the Singapore Strait on Tuesday. It was operating in the Middle East since July 12 after a diversion from scheduled deployment in the Western Pacific Ocean, until September 12.
The USS Abraham Lincoln, a second U.S. aircraft carrier that diverted from the Western Pacific Ocean and arrived in the Middle East on August 21, remained on station in the region.
Both the deployed aircraft carriers are based at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California. The Theodore Roosevelt departed in January and the Abraham Lincoln left in July.
USS Ronald Reagan: Bremerton, Washington
The Ronald Reagan arrived at Naval Base Kitsap on August 13, following a hull swap at Naval Air Station North Island with USS George Washington. It was previously stationed at the Yokosuka naval base in Japan. A hull swap refers to an operational transition between two aircraft carriers.
It shifted from the base’s Bravo Pier to Delta Pier on Monday. The aircraft carrier is being prepared for an estimated 17-month maintenance program scheduled to begin in March 2025 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Bremerton.
Official U.S. Navy photos also showed sailors conducted a general quarters drill in the hangar bay onboard the Ronald Reagan while in port on Thursday.
Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kazia Ream/U.S. Navy
USS Carl Vinson: San Diego, California
Open-source satellite imagery showed the Carl Vinson remained pier-side at Naval Air Station North Island. The aircraft carrier returned to its home port from Hawaii on August 15. It was underway again on August 17 for a one-day Friends and Family Day Cruise.
USS Nimitz and USS George Washington: Eastern Pacific Ocean
The Nimitz, which is the lead ship of the 100,000-ton Nimitz-class supercarriers, departed from its home port at Naval Base Kitsap for training on September 13. It arrived at Naval Air Station North Island on Monday and was underway again on Wednesday.
The George Washington departed from Naval Air Station North Island on Tuesday. It was in preparation for its deployment to Yokosuka this fall as the Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier, replacing the Ronald Reagan.
People’s Liberation Army Navy
CNS Liaoning: Philippine Sea
Japan’s defense ministry
China’s first operational aircraft carrier, the Soviet-built Liaoning, transited from the East China Sea to the Philippine Sea on Wednesday, passing through the Japanese islands of Yonaguni and Iriomote in the country’s southwestern waters near Taiwan, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.
Yonaguni is Japan’s westernmost island and is less than 70 miles from Taiwan’s east coast.
CNS Shandong: South China Sea
Sentinel Hub
The Shandong, which is China’s first domestically built aircraft carrier and the second in service, left its home port on the southern island of Hainan as of Wednesday. Satellite imagery captured on September 13 showed it was moored at the island’s Sanya naval base.
CNS Fujian: Bohai Sea
Sentinel Hub
The Fujian, the newest and most advanced aircraft carrier in China, was in the Bohai Sea. Satellite imagery spotted the yet-to-be-commissioned warship conducting a replenishment test on Tuesday.
The aircraft carrier departed from Shanghai’s Jiangnan Shipyard on September 3 for sea trials, with expected arrival in Shanghai on Saturday as it was in the Yellow Sea, making its way down south.
Italian Navy
ITS Cavour: Singapore
​The Cavour continued its Indo-Pacific deployment. Following a visit to Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, from September 3 to 8, it took part in an exercise with the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force in the South China Sea until September 11.
The aircraft carrier then docked at Jakarta, Indonesia‘s capital city, from September 14 to Tuesday and arrived in Singapore on Thursday. Naval News previously reported that the Cavour is expected to visit India, Pakistan, Oman and Saudi Arabia afterward and return to Italy by November.
