USS Gerald R. Ford Returning to Norfolk After Record 309-Day Deployment Amid Iran Conflict
The carrier’s 309-day deployment was extended by the war in Iran, and officials say fire damage and deferred maintenance will require major repairs.
- The USS Gerald R. Ford is returning to Naval Station Norfolk after a 309-day deployment, marking the longest mission for a U.S. aircraft carrier since the Vietnam War.
- Extended operations in the Middle East supported sustained U.S. campaigns against Iran, but a 30-hour laundry room fire in March 2026 damaged the ship and forced its withdrawal from active duty.
- The fire displaced more than 600 crew members from their sleeping quarters, while roughly 200 sailors required medical treatment for smoke exposure from the incident.
- Experts estimate the $13 billion vessel faces up to 14 months of maintenance upon arrival in Virginia, effectively removing the advanced carrier from active duty for more than a year.
- With other carriers entering maintenance or scheduled for decommissioning, officials warn the Navy may soon fall below the statutory minimum of 11 carriers for the first time in decades.
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Gulf News
US aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford leaves Middle East
After record deployment, USS Gerald R. Ford departs Middle East, leaving two US carriers as Trump cites War Powers rules to say conflict with Iran has ended.
Most advanced US warship retreats as war on Iran challenges...
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest and most expensive aircraft carrier ever built by the United States, has been forced to withdraw from West Asia after 309 days of continuous deployment in support of the unprovoked US terrorist war against Iran. The $13 billion leviathan is returning to Norfolk, Virginia, in a state of significant mechanical degradation, a humiliating retreat that exposes the fragility of the American war machine. The Ford's d…
Dagens Nyheter.
hbl.fiThe huge American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford has left the Middle East region – having had problems with the toilets on board.
The Ford has been on the high seas for more than 10 months, participating, among others, in United States operations in the Caribbean, where Washington forces have carried out attacks on alleged drug-smuggling vessels.
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