Friday, October 7, 2005 at 05:52 JSTYOKOSUKA — The mayor of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Ryoichi Kabaya, conveyed local opposition to a reported U.S. plan to deploy a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to the city in a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Tokyo Thomas Schieffer on Thursday, city officials said.
Kabaya visited the envoy at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and handed him a letter requesting that a conventional carrier replace the Kitty Hawk, which is to be decommissioned in 2008, they said.© 2005 Kyodo News. All rights reserved. No reproduction or republication without written permission.
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=9&id=351382
US carrier captain sacked in Japan
The Kitty Hawk can carry a maximum crew of 5,500
The captain of the American aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk has been sacked after a series of incidents led his superiors to lose confidence in his ability to lead the crew.
Captain Thomas Hejl's dismissal from the 85,000-tonne craft, based in the Japanese port of Yokosuka, came after a number of crew members were arrested for alleged robbery, assault and drug-smuggling.
At this time, the global war on terrorism, it's very important for us not to have this kind of situation arise
Commander Matthew Brown US Seventh Fleet commander Vice Admiral Robert Willard said the dismissal was "due to a loss of confidence in Captain Hejl's ability to lead his crew and carry out essential missions and taskings."
"The United States is engaged in a global war against terrorism and it is vital that our forward deployed ships be ready to carry out our nation's taskings when ordered, " he said.
Crew arrests
A series of incidents have plagued the Kitty Hawk in recent months.
On 11 August a 23-year-old crew member was arrested in Yokosuka on suspicion of attempted robbery and causing injury.
Three days earlier a 29-year-old sailor was arrested at an airport near Tokyo on suspicion of smuggling marijuana into Japan.
Four others were arrested in two separate robbery incidents, Japanese police said.
The carrier played an important role in the war against the Taleban
Commander Matthew Brown, a spokesman for the Seventh Fleet, said other issues had also influenced Captain Hejl's dismissal, including equipment breakdowns apparently caused by crew members failing to follow correct procedures.
Another factor was the Kitty Hawk's collision with a buoy in Singapore earlier this year that damaged one of the ship's propellers.
"We had a deficiency and it wasn't getting any better," said Commander Brown.
Vital military role
The Kitty Hawk normally has 70 to 80 aircraft on board and can carry a maximum crew of 5,500.
The carrier was sent to the Indian Ocean last year to help support the US military response to the 11 September attacks on New York and Washington.
It played a key role in the US-led ground war in Afghanistan by ferrying special forces troops and helicopters.
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