The US super aircraft carrier ended its record-long deployment

The US Department of Defense said on May 16 that more than 4,500 soldiers from the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group have completed their mission and returned to their home port in Norfolk, Virginia.

At the wharf, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and about 5,000 relatives of the crew gathered to welcome the world’s largest warship.

The deployment begins in June 2025, including continuous operations in many areas including the North Sea, Mediterranean, Caribbean and Red Sea.

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has participated in operations in the Caribbean, including combating drug smuggling, blocking oil tankers on the sanctions list and arresting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

After more than 100 days of operation in the area of ​​responsibility of the Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), USS Gerald R. Ford was sent to the Middle East to participate in military operations against Iran.

The long deployment process caused the ship to encounter many problems. In March, a fire in the ship’s laundry room spread to the ventilation system. More than 100 beds were damaged, two sailors were injured and one had to be evacuated to the mainland for medical treatment. The ship then docked at Crete for repairs before returning to duty. USS Gerald R. Ford is also said to have significant problems with the toilet system.

The 326-day deployment far exceeds the normal operating time of about 6-7 months for US aircraft carriers, and also breaks the record of 294 days that USS Abraham Lincoln set in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

US naval officials called for caution and not to abuse and prolong the deployment of aircraft carriers. Admiral Daryl Coddle, commander of naval operations, emphasized that aircraft carriers are usually designed for missions lasting about 7 months and the US does not expect cases like the USS Gerald R. Ford to become a norm.

USS Gerald R. Ford began operating in 2017, is the newest aircraft carrier of the US Navy and is the only one of the Gerald R. Ford class out of a total of 11 aircraft carriers currently in service.

The ship is capable of carrying more than 75 aircraft, powered by a new generation nuclear reactor, with an integrated combat system and dual-band radar. The investment cost for the ship is about 13 billion USD.