Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. USS George Washington (CVN 73) is an American nuclear-powered supercarrier, the sixth ship in the Nimitz class and the fourth United States Navy ship to be named after George Washington, first President of the United States. She was built by Newport News Shipbuilding and was commissioned July 4, 1992. Previously homeported in Norfolk, Virginia, in May 2008 the carrier was en route to its new homeport in Japan when it suffered a serious fire off the coast of South America causing $70 million in damages and resulting in the relief from command of both its Captain and Executive Officer.