ANCHOR:
America's oldest aircraft carrier, the USS Kitty Hawk, docked in Hong Kong today. This is the warship's first visit to the city since being denied entry by Chinese regime last November. Let's take a look.

STORY:
The crew of USS Kitty Hawk are preparing for several days of holiday in Hong Kong. The port is an often-used resting stop for visiting U.S. servicemen.

This marks the vessel's final visit to Hong Kong before it heads back to the United States for decommissioning.

At 47-years of age, the fuel-driven aircraft carrier will be replaced by a more modern nuclear powered vessel.

Last year's docking refusal by the Chinese Communist Party set off diplomatic ripples between Washington and Beijing. Many family members of the servicemen already arrived in Hong Kong when the docking was called off.

But this time the ship had no problems receiving the green light to come into the Chinese-controlled territory.

[Rear Admiral Richard Wren, U.S. Navy]:
"Kitty Hawk's port visit this time was very much in keeping with the process that we've experienced for the ten previous visits over the last 10 years that Kitty Hawk has been stationed, at least forward deployed, in Yokosuka."

Kitty Hawk will be scrapped at the Bremerton naval shipyard in Washington state next January.