Editing USS Ronald Reagan (section)

===2011 deployment===
[[File:USSRonaldReaganByPhilKonstantin.jpg|thumb|USS ''Ronald Reagan'' returning to San Diego Bay after a deployment, 2011]]
The ship departed for an Asian deployment on 2 February 2011. On 11 March 2011, ''Ronald Reagan'' was in the Korean peninsula region for a long-planned exercise off [[Korea]], but was redirected towards Japan to [[Operation Tomodachi|provide support]] after the massive [[2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami]]. The ship, stationed off [[Sendai]], served as a refueling station for Japanese coast guard and military helicopters on relief missions in the area.<ref name=lat-soaring>{{cite news |last1=King |first1=Laura |last2=Magnier |first2=Mark |last3=Demick |first3=Barbara |title=Japan faces soaring number of feared dead |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2011-mar-13-la-fg-japan-quake-main-20110313-story.html |access-date=16 February 2015 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |page=3 |date=13 March 2011 |quote=The nuclear-powered ship [USS Ronald Reagan] is being used as a floating refueling station for Japanese military and coast guard helicopters flying rescue missions in the area and delivering emergency food supplies. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216100234/http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/13/world/la-fg-japan-quake-main-20110313 |archive-date=16 February 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> US Navy helicopters also flew relief missions from the carrier. On 13 March 2011, the ship measured 0.6 [[millirem]]/hr direct gamma shine from clouds 130 miles (≈210&nbsp;km) from the [[Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant]].<ref name=enform-rem>{{cite web |title=USS Ronald Reagan measured 0.6 mR/hr direct gamma shine from clouds 130 miles from Fukushima Daiichi |url=http://enformable.com/2012/03/uss-ronald-reagan-measured-0-6-mrhr-direct-gamma-shine-from-clouds-130-miles-from-fukushima-daiichi/ |website=Enformable: Nuclear News |access-date=16 February 2015 |date=13 March 2011 |quote=...they went up to 130 miles or from the plant, and we were still reading a direct gamma shine of 0.6 [[millirem]] per hour. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216102956/http://enformable.com/2012/03/uss-ronald-reagan-measured-0-6-mrhr-direct-gamma-shine-from-clouds-130-miles-from-fukushima-daiichi/ |archive-date=16 February 2015 }}</ref> Members of the crew later blamed their cancers on the event.<ref>{{cite web |author=The Stream Team |url=http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/the-stream/the-stream-officialblog/2013/12/16/uss-reagan-sailorsreportcancersafterfukushimarescuemission.html |title=USS Ronald Reagan sailors report cancers after Fukushima rescue mission |date=16 December 2013 |website=Al Jazeera America |access-date=16 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217055744/http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/the-stream/the-stream-officialblog/2013/12/16/uss-reagan-sailorsreportcancersafterfukushimarescuemission.html |archive-date=17 December 2013 }}</ref> On 14 March 2011, the ship was forced to relocate to avoid a radioactive plume from the [[Fukushima I nuclear accidents]] which had contaminated 17&nbsp;crew members of three helicopter crews.<ref name=navtime-move>{{cite news |url=http://archive.navytimes.com/article/20110314/NEWS/103140314/Navy-ships-off-Japan-move-avoid-radiation |title=Navy ships off Japan move to avoid radiation |newspaper=[[Navy Times]] |date=14 March 2011 |last=Stewart |first=Joshua |access-date=16 December 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150216103851/http://archive.navytimes.com/article/20110314/NEWS/103140314/Navy-ships-off-Japan-move-avoid-radiation |archive-date=16 February 2015}}</ref> On 23 March, ''Ronald Reagan''{{'}}s crew performed radiation [[decontamination]] by scrubbing down any surface that could have been contaminated, including the island superstructure and flight deck, to remove any potential radiation hazards.<ref name=pbs-scrub>{{cite web |last=Brazell |first=Karen |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/the-daily-need/photo-a-super-size-scrub/8143/ |title=Photo: A super-size scrub |work=PBS.org |date=23 March 2011 |access-date=16 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217053901/http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/the-daily-need/photo-a-super-size-scrub/8143/ |archive-date=17 December 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> On 4 April 2011, Japan's minister of defense, [[Toshimi Kitazawa]], accompanied by US ambassador to Japan [[John Roos]], visited the ship to thank the crew for their assistance as part of Operation Tomodachi. Said Kitazawa, "I have never been more encouraged by and proud of the fact that the United States is our ally."<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[Kyodo News]] |title=Japanese defense chief thanks U.S. military for humanitarian efforts |date=4 April 2011}}</ref> The ship returned to San Diego on 8 September 2011.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kovach |first=Gretel C. |title=Carrier Ronald Reagan Due Home After Eventful Deployment |newspaper=[[San Diego Union-Tribune]] |date=9 September 2011}}</ref> In January 2011, the Navy announced that the aircraft carrier would be transferred to the Puget Sound Naval Ship Yard in Bremerton, Washington, for scheduled repair and maintenance beginning January 2012.<ref name="Bremerton"/>