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Hull Maintenance Technician 3rd Class Trevor Cayton, from Texas, assigned to engineering department, welds a frame in the machine shop aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) while underway in the South China Sea, August 6, 2026. George Washington is the U.S. Navy’s premier forward-deployed aircraft carrier, a long-standing symbol of the United States’ commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, while operating alongside allies and partners across the U.S. Navy’s largest numbered fleet. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicolas Quezada)