San Diego
The aircraft carrier Independence will leave North Island for good Monday and sail for Yokosuka, Japan, its new home port.
The Independence will replace the Midway, which will be decommissioned later this year. Both carriers will dock in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, later this month, where a formal turnover of duties will be conducted, according to the Navy. The Midway will depart Yokosuka on Aug. 10.
After leaving Pearl Harbor, the Midway, which entered service in 1945, will continue to San Diego, where it will be berthed temporarily until the Navy decides on a permanent berthing site for the mothballed carrier.
The Midway, which served in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Desert Storm, has been assigned to the 7th Fleet and based in Japan since 1973.
The Independence will arrive in Japan on Sept. 11, the Navy said.
Both carriers are conventionally powered.
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