Korea Welcomes George Washington Carrier Strike Group

By CTF 70 Public Affairs

Posted: June 28, 2012

BUSAN, Republic of Korea  – The George Washington Carrier Strike Group (GWCSG) arrived in Busan, Republic of Korea (ROK) June 27 for a port visit and was welcomed by Rear Adm. Park Sung-bae, commander of Republic of Korea Flotilla 5 and several members of the Republic of Korea Navy.

BUSAN, Republic of Korea (June 27, 2012) Rear Adm. Bill McQuilkin, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea, holds a Korean girl alongside Rear Adm. J.R. Haley, commander of Task Force 70, as greetings are exchanged with Rear Adm. Park Sung-bae, commander of Flotilla Five, and Sailors after the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) arrived in Busan, Republic of Korea. George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing Five, arrived in Busan for a port visit. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Travis Simmons) | Download

A ROK Navy band played while children dressed in traditional Korean costume presented flower leis to the leadership of the strike group.

The GWCSG, making this port visit to Busan, includes USS George Washington (CVN 73), embarked staffs Task Force 70 and Destroyer Squadron 15, embarked Carrier Air Wing 5, USS Shiloh (CG 67), USS Cowpens (CG 63) and USS McCampbell (DDG 85), in total about 6,000 US Navy Sailors.

The Sailors of the GWCSG plan on spending a few days exploring the city and learning about the culture and cuisine of Korea. The Sailors will also give back to the community with several community service projects in which they will work with ROK community groups as a way to say thank you for hosting the ships in Busan.

The GWCSG is forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan, and is underway in the 7th Fleet area of operations conducting routine maritime operations.