Sailors aboard the USS Ronald Reagan received a warm welcome from family and the Navy community of Bremerton Aug. 13 after completing the vessel’s move to Naval Base Kitsap from its years-long homeport in Yokosuka, Japan.

The Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier departed May 16 from Yokosuka, where it had been homeported since 2015. After participating in a joint force training exercise in the Indo-Pacific and visiting a port in Guam en route to the mainland, the Reagan arrived in San Diego to undergo a hull swap with the USS George Washington.

Commanding officer Capt. Daryle Cardone called it a passing of the baton to the Washington, which replaced the Reagan as of this month as the Navy’s sole forward-deployed Naval Forces-Japan aircraft carrier.

“It is a historic day for us, both for the journey of our crew as well as for the life of our ship,” he said in his first moments in Bremerton. The Washington “is a ship near and dear to my heart as a former executive officer of that ship, and we left there just a few days ago to make our way here.”

Watchful eyes on base could begin to make out the highest points of the Reagan around 3 p.m. Aug. 13. A while after that, the white uniforms of sailors standing at attention atop the ship became clearer, and little by little, the mammoth ship came into view.

Eagerly waiting were hundreds of family members ready to greet their relatives to their new home, waving miniature US flags and displaying handcrafted signs either premade or decorated on base a while earlier. Occasionally, the cry of a name as a sailor’s face became recognizable was followed by cheers from the crowd.

More cheers and applause erupted as the Reagan was tied down and ported, officially joining the USS Nimitz – the namesake of the ship’s class – as the second aircraft carrier at Naval Base Kitsap.

“It’s really an honor to have this type of ship here and to host the sailors in this way,” said Kitsap County Commissioner Katie Walters, who was among the officials to greet Cardone upon the ship’s arrival. “The investment that the government has given to our area, it’s part of our sustainability.”

Approximately 2,800 crew members have been brought to the base as a result of the ship’s move, Cardone said. The total number of new arrivals to Kitsap including family was unavailable.

The reunions that ensued consisted of hugs and kisses, laughs and a few tears.

Marcus Clarett was welcoming home his wife after one year apart. As to what he felt the moment he saw the ship, he said, “It gives me a little piece of my joy back.”

Ann and Scott Case had not seen their son for almost two years, but with him scheduled to retire in March, they hope they have welcomed him from his “last hurrah” in service. It was “very emotional,” she said. “This is the farthest he’s been, and we weren’t able to visit just because of health restrictions.”

Kayla Fox, who welcomed her husband home, was grateful for the welcome she and other families received. “Everybody has been super welcoming, super kind and helpful,” she said.

The Reagan was constructed beginning in 1988 in Newport News, VA. It was christened by former first lady Nancy Reagan in 2001 and when it was commissioned in 2003, she served as the sponsor for the ship named after her husband, the former president.

The ship was deployed in Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, operating in support of the global war on terrorism, and it has traveled to bases off the coast of California, Hawaii and Japan.

The carrier departed San Diego and arrived in Bremerton previously in 2012 to undergo a “planned docking incremental availability.” The 12-month, $210 million project was completed, and the ship returned to San Diego in 2013.

The Reagan is scheduled to undergo critical maintenance that had previously not been possible during deployment, Cardone said. “This is normal planned maintenance that’s normal part of a ship’s lifecycle, but it’s the deeper maintenance that we wouldn’t do at an overseas port. So we’re going to refurbish a lot of equipment, we’re going to go through a number of technological upgrades, and then we’ll start training again.”

The Reagan will become part of the rotational forces again upon the completion of maintenance, though the duration of the ship’s stay is yet to be determined.

Kyzer Jones, right, from Texas sends a heartfelt message from the USS Ronald Reagan.

Don, left, and Carley Kunkle jump and wave at the sailor nearest and dearest to them.

Nalani Bannis, 7, makes a sign for the sailors coming home to Bremerton.

Commanding officer Capt. Daryle Cardone answers questions from the media with the USS Ronald Reagan behind him.

Ann and Scott Case give a thumbs up to their son after spotting him aboard the USS Ronald Reagan.

Danielle Edwards waves her flag while watching the USS Ronald Reagan arrive in Bremerton.

Sailors file off the USS Ronald Reagan and walk to their new home of Kitsap County.

The USS Ronald Reagan.

Capt. Daryle Cardone, commanding officer of the USS Ronald Reagan, is greeted by city and county officials upon his arrival to Bremerton.

Families waiting for their sailors show off their handmade signs.