The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan will head back to San Diego early next year, it was reported today.
The Navy confirmed the Reagan's plans on Tuesday, saying it would return to North Island Naval Air Station after completing a year of maintenance work in Washington state, according to U-T San Diego.
The Reagan and its 2,500-person crew pulled out of San Diego in January en route to Washington. Until Tuesday, there was no official plan for the Reagan once the maintenance work was complete.
"We have the facilities and capability to handle her, and we will be pleased to have her back,'' Larry Blumberg, executive director of the San Diego Military Advisory Council, told U-T San Diego.
The regional economic impact of the Reagan includes local spending by sailors and their families, who receive a combined $203 million in pay, plus spending by the Navy on ship upkeep.
With the Reagan, San Diego will have two aircraft carriers. The other is the USS Carl Vinson, which is currently on deployment. By 2016, a third yet- to-be-named carrier is expected to move into town, according to U-T San Diego.
