Navy
GalleryUSS Gerald R. Ford returns home to Virginia after 8 months at sea in 1st combat deployment
Stars and Stripes
January 17, 2024
Lt. Sarah Alferos, assigned to the USS Gerald R. Ford, receives a welcome home from her family upon returning from an eight-month maiden deployment, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (GRFCSG) completed a scheduled deployment in U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/ U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations. (Alexander Casco/U.S. Navy)
Welcome home, USS Gerald R. Ford.
The Navy’s newest aircraft carrier returned to Naval Station Norfolk, Va., Wednesday following an eight-month deployment — the carrier’s first combat deployment — assisting U.S. efforts to contain the Israel-Hamas war. The Ford is the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 12.
U.S. Fleet Forces shared videos of the carrier pulling into port on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Though extended, we were the right ship at the right time to answer the call, and our sailors performed admirably,” Capt. Rick Burgess, the Ford’s commanding officer, said in a Navy news release. “Ford sailors honored our namesake’s legacies of hard work, integrity and courage.”
The Ford left May 2 for a routine deployment, relieving the USS George H. W. Bush, Stars and Stripes previously reported. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the carrier to the eastern Mediterranean following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. In all, the deployment was extended three times.
The ship’s crew sailed more than 83,476 nautical miles during the extended deployment, U.S. Fleet Forces said. Alongside the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, the carrier launched more than 4,500 flights between October and December, the Navy told Stars and Stripes earlier this month.
During deployment, the ship’s crew conducted 43 underway replenishments, logged over 17,826 flight hours and 10,396 sorties, transferred 20.7 million gallons of fuel, conducted 33,444 flight deck moves, 3,124 hangar bay aircraft moves and 16,351 aircraft fueling evolutions, according to the release.
“Due to our collective efforts, we excelled during a very challenging deployment, demonstrating the capabilities of a U.S. Navy carrier strike group, assuring our partners and allies, and deterring our adversaries with our operations in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations,” Rear Adm. Erik Eslich, commander of Carrier Strike Group 12, said in the release.
The carrier visited ports in Croatia, Greece, Italy, Norway and Turkey, and other ships in the strike group visited Belgium, Cyprus, Montenegro, Spain, and Sweden.
Gerald R. Ford, the first ship in its class, is the U.S. Navy’s largest and most advanced aircraft carrier. Ford-class aircraft carriers feature new technologies, including Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), Advanced Arresting Gear and Advanced Weapons Elevators. The ships are designed to generate a higher sortie rate with a 20% smaller crew than a Nimitz-class carrier, according to the release.
Naval Station Norfolk gets ready for USS Gerald R. Ford’s homecoming following its first combat deployment. (U.S. Fleet Forces/X)
In this screenshot from video, sailors man the rails as the USS Gerald R. Ford pulls into its homeport at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. The Navy’s newest aircraft carrier returned home following an eight-month deployment — the carrier’s first combat deployment — assisting U.S. efforts to contain the Israel-Hamas war. (Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet/Facebook)
Sailors assigned to the USS Gerald R. Ford man the rails upon return from the ship’s eight-month maiden deployment, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (Alexander Casco/U.S. Navy)
Sailors assigned to the USS Gerald R. Ford greet family upon returning from the ship’s eight-month maiden deployment, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (Triniti Lersch/U.S. Navy)
Sailors assigned to the USS Gerald R. Ford depart the ship upon returning from its eight-month maiden deployment, Jan. 17, 2024. (Triniti Lersch/U.S. Navy)
Sailors assigned to the USS Gerald R. Ford man the rails upon return from the ship’s eight-month maiden deployment, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (Triniti Lersch/U.S. Navy)
Sailors assigned to the USS Gerald R. Ford man the rails upon return from the ship’s eight-month maiden deployment, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (Triniti Lersch/U.S. Navy)
Capt. Richard Burgess, commanding officer of the USS Gerald R. Ford, walks off the ship upon returning from an eight-month deployment, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (Triniti Lersch/U.S. Navy)
Sailors assigned to the deck department of the USS Gerald R. Ford heave around a line in the fo’c’sle during a sea-and-anchor evolution upon return from the ship’s eight-month maiden deployment, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (Alexander Casco/U.S. Navy)
The USS Gerald R. Ford’s command master chief Bryan Davis receives a welcome home from his family upon returning from the ship’s eight-month maiden deployment, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (Alexander Casco/U.S. Navy)
The USS Gerald R. Ford’s executive officer Matthew Mulcahey receives a welcome home from his family upon returning from the ship’s eight-month maiden deployment, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (Alexander Casco/U.S. Navy)
Sage, a 4-year-old female Labrador retriever deployed through Mutts With A Mission, disembarks the world’s largest aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford upon returning from the ship’s eight-month maiden deployment, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (Alexander Casco/U.S. Navy)
Commanding Officer of the USS Gerald R. Ford Capt. Rick Burgess and Rear Adm. Erik Eslich, commander, Carrier Strike Group 12, give a press conference upon returning from the ship’s eight-month maiden deployment, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (Alexander Casco/U.S. Navy)