{"id":27726,"date":"2018-01-16T15:30:45","date_gmt":"2018-01-16T15:30:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/01\/16\/first-f-35b-shipboard-deployment-to-begin-as-us-warship-arrives-in-japan\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:21:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:21:01","slug":"first-f-35b-shipboard-deployment-to-begin-as-us-warship-arrives-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2018\/01\/16\/first-f-35b-shipboard-deployment-to-begin-as-us-warship-arrives-in-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"First F-35B shipboard deployment to begin as US warship arrives in Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MELBOURNE, Australia \u2014 The U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship Wasp has arrived at its new home port in Japan, setting the stage for the first time the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II<\/a> fighter jet will go to sea on an operational cruise later this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Jan. 14 arrival of the ship at the 7th Fleet base at Sasebo marks the end of a 28,400-mile journey from Norfolk, Virginia, that began in August and included nearly two months of humanitarian relief efforts following two hurricanes in the Caribbean, during which aircraft onboard the Wasp moved a total of 1,129 passengers along with 26,720 pounds of equipment and more than 1.7 million pounds of various logistical support items, including 328,100 pounds of food and water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe arrival of USS Wasp represents an increase in military capability and a commitment to our partners and allies for security and stability in the region,\u201d said Capt. Colby Howard, Wasp commanding officer. \u201cPaired with the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter, we remain ready to execute the full range of military operations from crisis response to disaster relief.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Wasp will replace the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard as the flagship of Task Force 76, which includes all of the 7th Fleet amphibious forces and is the U.S. Navy\u2019s only forward-deployed expeditionary strike group. Three smaller Sasebo-based amphibious assault ships make up the remainder of the forward-deployed naval forces\u2019 amphibious component.<\/p>\n\n\n\t