Vinson carrier group moving to San Diego

SAN DIEGO, March 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. aircraft carrier Carl Vinson is expected to move its base to North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego, Navy officials said.

The Vinson would give North Island three carriers, joining the Ronald Reagan and the Nimitz, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

The Vinson, which has been based at Bremerton, Wash., for an overhaul, is expected to make its move south in 2009 or early 2010.

The Vinson's transfer is part of a larger shift of Navy forces from the Atlantic to the Pacific to counter possible threats from China and North Korea, the Navy said.

Forty warships are stationed at four San Diego bases and that number will rise considerably by the time the Vinson arrives, the Union-Tribune said.