US aircraft carrier that responded to Yolanda victims arrives in Manila

A United States aircraft carrier that was among the first ships to respond to the needs of victims of super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) last year arrived in Manila Thursday, the US Embassy in Manila said.

The USS George Washington, whose embarked air wing includes 320 Filipino-Americans, is making a routine port call, the embassy said in a statement.

"The USS George Washington was one of the first US ships to respond to the Government of the Philippines’ request for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief after Typhoon Yolanda. The George Washington and her fellow ships provided more than 335,000 liters of water and 36,360 kilos of food and supplies in support of relief efforts," the embassy said.


^{USS George Washington. Joe Galvez}
On the other hand, the aircraft carrier's visit came at a time a US Marine, Pfc. Joseph Scott Pemberton, is facing murder charges for the killing of transgender Jeffrey "Jennifer" Laude.

Recently, the Philippine Navy's BRP Gregorio del Pilar joined the George Washington Carrier Strike Group off the Philippine coast Oct. 22 and 23 for maneuvering, communications and gunnery exercises.

The Nimitz-class USS George Washington was commissioned July 4, 1992, and is the fourth ship to bear the name and is forward deployed to the 7th Fleet area of operations, operating from Yokosuka, Japan.

Its commander is Capt. Greg Fenton, while its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, is crewed by about 5,500 sailors, 320 of whom are Filipino-American. — Joel Locsin /LBG, GMA News