"Kitty Hawk" left Yokosuka on 28 May 2008 to begin the decommissioning process. However, on 22 May, a fire seriously damaged "George Washington", causing the ship to go to San Diego for repairs. "Kitty Hawk" participated in the RIMPAC exercise near Hawaii in "George Washington"s place. The turnover between the two carriers was postponed and took place in August. After the turnover, "Kitty Hawk" arrived at Bremerton, Washington in September and was informally retired on 31 January 2009. "Kitty Hawk", the USN's last oil-powered aircraft carrier, was finally decommissioned on 12 May 2009.