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USS Gerald R. Ford reaches longest carrier deployment since Vietnam War
The 4,500-sailor crew has faced fire damage, plumbing failures and repeated extensions as Navy leaders say the ship could stay deployed 11 months.
- The USS Gerald R. Ford officially marked 296 days at sea on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, setting a record for the longest modern U.S. aircraft carrier deployment with nearly 4,500 sailors aboard.
- Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia expressed concern over the deployment's strain on sailors, noting the crew has remained at sea for about 10 months following two extensions, with the mission potentially lasting roughly 11 months.
- Operational difficulties include a March 12, 2026, laundry room fire that damaged 100 sleeping berths and injured three sailors, alongside ongoing plumbing problems with nearly 650 toilets on board.
- Following repairs in Split, Croatia, the vessel continues operating in the Mediterranean Sea, having logged 32 maintenance assistance calls throughout 2025.
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The USS Gerald Ford, who was involved in the military operations by which the US attacked Iran, dropped the record for the longest mission since the Vietnam War here, reports Le Parisien and Bussines Insider. The world's largest and most expensive aircraft carrier has been on mission for 297 days. ...
Record Breaker: The U.S. Navy’s USS Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier Might Be at Sea for Almost a Year
The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) reached a historic milestone on Wednesday, April 15. After leaving Naval Station Norfolk on June 24, 2025, the carrier hit 295 days deployed, setting the longest post-Vietnam aircraft carrier deployment in modern U.S. Navy service, according to USNI News data. That means that by the time the Ford-class aircraft carrier comes into port in Norfolk, Virginia, it will have been on deployment for almost a year. Ford ea…
The long sail of the USS Gerald R. Ford
To have a chance at joining Delta Force, the U.S. military’s most elite special operations unit, tryouts must first complete approximately three weeks of increasingly arduous marches while carrying increasing weight loads. This test phase of the selection course ends with a roughly 40-mile march known in the military as “The Long Walk.” Few are able to meet the watch in completing this arduous test. The crew of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft ca…
From Venezuela to Iran, major operations have kept US Navy supercarrier USS Gerald R. Ford away from home for almost 10 months
USS Gerald R. FordUS Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson AdkinsThe US Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has been deployed for 297 days.The Ford left Virginia last June, and it has since had its deployment extended twice.The warship has seen combat operations against Venezuela and Iran, as well as shipboard problems.The new US Navy supercarrier USS Gerald R. Ford has been deployed for 297 days, a record-long carri…
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