150520-N-YD641-009 WATERS SOUTH OF JAPAN Aviation Structural Mechanic 2nd Class James Flores, from San Diego, left, and Aviation Structural Mechanic Darquis Thomas, from Durham, N.C., prepare an elastomeric bearing for painting in the airframe shop aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing 5, are on patrol in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. George Washington will conduct a hull-swap with the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan later this year after serving seven years as the U.S. Navy's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier in Yokosuka, Japan.