US and Chinese Carriers in the Pacific This Week
Newsweek • April 11, 2025
A United States aircraft carrier has reached the Western Pacific Ocean this week as its sister ship was redeployed from the region to the Middle East amid rising tensions, while only one of the three Chinese aircraft carriers was spotted underway, operating off the country’s coast.
Newsweek’s weekly update maps aircraft carrier movements in the Indo-Pacific region. As of April 11, the locations of 10 vessels were publicly available via military disclosures and open-source imagery captured by satellites or ship spotters. The US has the world’s largest “flattop” fleet, with 11 aircraft carriers in service. China ranks second with three.
US Navy
USS Nimitz: Western Pacific Ocean
The Nimitz was operating with its carrier strike group on Thursday in the Seventh Fleet’s area of operations, which covers the Western Pacific Ocean, for a scheduled deployment.
It replaced sister ship USS Carl Vinson, which was in the Central Command’s area of responsibility after a redeployment from the Western Pacific Ocean to the Middle East.
USS George Washington: Yokosuka, Japan
The George Washington remained at the Yokosuka naval base as of Friday, its home port near Tokyo in Japan, according to a local government website that tracks port visits by U.S. nuclear-powered warships.
USS Abraham Lincoln: Eastern Pacific Ocean
The Abraham Lincoln conducted a change of command ceremony on Thursday while underway in the Third Fleet’s area of operations, which covers the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
USS Theodore Roosevelt: San Diego, California
The Theodore Roosevelt remained at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California as of Wednesday, according to a satellite image.
USS Ronald Reagan: Bremerton, Washington
The Ronald Reagan remained at Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Washington, as of Thursday, where it is undergoing scheduled maintenance, according to the US Navy.
People’s Liberation Army Navy
CNS Liaoning: Bohai Sea
According to satellite imagery, China’s first operational aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was spotted operating in the Bohai Sea, off the coast of northeastern China, on Thursday.
CNS Shandong: Sanya, Hainan
China’s second operational aircraft carrier, the Shandong, returned to its home port in Sanya in the southern province of Hainan, which faces the contested South China Sea, according to a satellite image captured on Friday. It took part in Chinese military exercises in the Philippine Sea, southeast of Taiwan, earlier this month.
CNS Fujian: Shanghai
The Fujian remained at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai in eastern China on Wednesday, according to a satellite image. It is China’s most advanced but yet-to-be-commissioned aircraft carrier.
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
JS Kaga: Kure, Japan
Kaga, which is a helicopter destroyer undergoing conversion into Japan’s first aircraft carrier since World War II, remained in Kure, a city located in southwest Honshu, Japan’s main island. Photos circulated on social media shows it was pier-side as of Friday.
JS Izumo: Yokohama, Japan
Japanese media has reported that the Izumo, the Kaga’s sister ship, will remain at a shipyard in Yokohama near Tokyo until 2027, when it will be converted into an aircraft carrier.
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