Italy’s Flagship Aircraft Carrier Cavour Makes First Port Call in Japan; 5th Country to Dock at Yokosuka This Month

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:47 JST, August 22, 2024

The Italian Navy’s aircraft carrier Cavour and frigate Alpino arrived at the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Thursday. This was the first port call by Cavour in Japan.

After anchoring there until Aug. 27, the two ships will conduct joint training exercises with the MSDF to cooperate in response to China’s increasing maritime presence.

The Cavour, measuring about 240 meters long, carries advanced aircraft, including the F-35B and AV-8B Harrier II Plus. It departed from Taranto, Italy, on June 1, passed through the Indian Ocean, and conducted joint drills with the U.S. and Australian navies in the Pacific Ocean.

Since the start of this month, a series of ships from Canada, New Zealand, Singapore and Germany have called at the Yokosuka base, making Italy the fifth country to dock its ships there.