Carrier Strike Group Five

Carrier Strike Group 5, (CSG-5 or CARSTRKGRU 5), is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group assigned to the Pacific Fleet. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) is the group's flagship. As of 2012, other group components include Carrier Air Wing Five, the Ticonderoga-class cruisers USS Shiloh (CG-67) and USS Antietam (CG-54), and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 15. The group is based at the United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka in Yokosuka, Japan, where a U.S. carrier has been based since 1973. The group also fulfills the functions of Battle Force, Seventh Fleet (Task Force 70) and Surface Combatant Force, Seventh Fleet (Task Force 75).

The strike group carries the lineage of Carrier Division 5, formed during the Second World War. On 1 August 1955, Carrier Division 5 comprised Essex (Bremerton), and Kearsage, and Shangri-La (both homeported in San Diego). Until 1964 command of Task Force 77 rotated between the deployed carrier division commanders; from 1964 Carrier Group Five was permanent deployed to the Western Pacific as CTF 77, homeported at Naval Air Station Cubi Point in the Philippines. In December 1971, Commander Carrier Division 5, Rear Admiral Damon W. Cooper, led Task Force 74 aboard Enterprise to the Indian Ocean following the outbreak of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Carrier Division 5 became Carrier Group 5 on 30 June 1973, and on 1 January 1974, still homeported at Cubi Point, was responsible for three carriers: 63 and 64 both homeported at San Diego and USS Enterprise (CVAN-65) homeported at Alameda.

In the leadup to the Gulf War, Rear Admiral Daniel P. March, Commander, Carrier Group Five, became commander, Task Force 154 (Battle Force Zulu), part of Naval Forces Central Command. The Task Force directed four carriers (USS Midway (CV-41), CV-61, CV-66, and CVN-71) in the Arabian Sea/Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm.

In August 1991, Midway departed Yokosuka and turned over to USS Independence (CV-62), which replaced Midway as the forward-deployed carrier in Yokosuka. In August 1998 USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) similarly relieved Independence.

Admiral Timothy J. Keating served as Commander, Carrier Group Five, from June 1998 to September 2000.

Kitty Hawk left its berth at Fleet Activities Yokosuka on 11 April 2000 to begin a routine deployment to the Western Pacific. The carrier had spent the previous five weeks in Yokosuka following a 12-day sea trial in February and March. Kitty Hawk first journeyed to Guam to rendezvous with Carrier Air Wing FIVE (CVW-5), which was participating in the Strike Fighter Advanced Readiness Program at Andersen Air Force Base until 18 April 2000. Shortly after leaving Yokosuka, the 86,000-ton warship underwent a large-scale Command Assessment of Readiness and Training (CART). Afloat Training Group (ATG) Western Pacific and ATG San Diego embarked the ship to evaluate the crew while operating near Guam. Through simulations and drills, the ship's damage control, combat systems, aviation, seamanship, engineering and medical areas were evaluated during the assessment. In addition to Guam, the ship made port calls throughout the Western Pacific and participated in Exercise Cobra Gold with the military forces of the Republic of Thailand -- a busy two months from start to finish.

Kitty Hawk, USS O'Brien (DD 975) and USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) returned to Yokosuka on 5 June 2000. During this routine spring deployment they travelled a total of 19,440 nautical miles during this underway period. The 4,800 Sailors of Kitty Hawk and Carrier Air Wing Five maintained an ambitious underway schedule, conducting 3,146 aircraft landings on the carrier's flight deck, demonstrating their abilities for various inspection teams, and exercising with the militaries of Thailand and Singapore.

Kitty Hawk departed Yokosuka 26 Sep and was soon joined by Carrier Air Wing Five to ramp up for Exercise Foal Eagle, Annual Exercise (ANNUALEX) 12G and Exercise Keen Sword. Several other Navy units participated in the exercises, including the staffs of Battle Force Seventh Fleet and Destroyer Squadron 15, USS Chancellorsville (CG 62), USS Cowpens (CG 63), USS Vincennes (CG 64), USS Vandegrift (FFG 48), USS Gary (FFG 51), USS Cushing (DD 985), USS John S. McCain (DDG 56), USS Honolulu (SSN 718), USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204), USNS Pecos (T-AO 197), USNS Kiska (T-AE 35) and USNS Victorious (T-AGOS 19). During the first leg of their journey, the 4,800 Sailors aboard Kitty Hawk conducted landing qualifications near Okinawa and integrated battle group training in the Sea of Japan. In mid October, Kitty Hawk pulled into Otaru, Japan, on the northern-most island of Hokkaido. As the second aircraft carrier to visit the port, she attracted some 66,000 visitors during a two-day open house. Kitty Hawk, CVW-5 and other U.S. Navy ships joined the 39th annual Exercise Foal Eagle in late October. In early November, Kitty Hawk joined various elements of the Seventh Fleet, the U.S. Air Force and the Japan Self Defense Force in ANNUALEX 12G and Keen Sword. ANNUALEX and Keen Sword focused on improving the capability for coordinated and bilateral operations in the defense of Japan.

Following a brisk pace of underway operations that included three exercises and two port visits in 55 days, Kitty Hawk returned to Yokosuka on 20 November 2000. In total, she had steamed 4,750 miles and completed over 3300 catapult-assisted takeoffs and arrested landings. Her sailors also undertook preservation work often left for shipyard availability periods.

Carrier Group 5 became Carrier Strike Group 5 on 1 October 2004.