A third U.S. Navy aircraft carrier will be calling San Diego home by 2010. The Pentagon announced today that the USS Carl Vinson will be moved here from Virginia, where it is undergoing maintenance. KPBS Radio's Andrea Hsu reports.
The USS Carl Vinson will join the Ronald Reagan and the Nimitz, which are already based at the North Island Naval Air Station. Local business and political leaders campaigned vigorously over the past year to bring the Vinson here. San Diego was chosen over Bremerton, Washington, Everett, Washington, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Guam. Commander Jack Hahnzlik of the Naval Airforce Command listed a couple of the benefits that put San Diego on top:
Hahnzlik : We are very close to the fleet with which we train and deploy with, we already have the infrastructure here and available at North Island.
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders says he's gratified about the move. He says it'll have a huge economic impact on the region.
For KPBS, I'm Andrea Hsu.
