USS Gerald R. Ford transits the Eastern Mediterranean Sea on March 22, 2026. The Ford left Split, Croatia, on Thursday after more than a week in port for repairs and crew rest following an onboard fire last month, Navy officials said. The ship’s destination was not disclosed. (Tajh Payne/U.S. Navy)
NAPLES, Italy — The world’s largest aircraft carrier has returned to full operational duty following a hiatus for repairs and crew rest, weeks after a shipboard fire injured three Navy sailors.
USS Gerald R. Ford departed the Croatian city of Split on Thursday after a five-day port call, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet said in a statement.
It wasn’t clear whether the carrier will remain in the Mediterranean Sea or move into the Red Sea in support of Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-Israel campaign against Iran that is nearing the end of its fifth week.
It’s also uncertain when Ford, which has been deployed for some 284 days, will return to the United States. Earlier this week, the Navy’s highest-ranking officer, Adm. Daryl Caudle, said Ford likely would go into a “record-breaking” 11th month of operations.
The ship “remains poised for full mission tasking in support of national objectives in any area of operation,” the NAVEUR-AF/6th Fleet statement said.
The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, is seen underway in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, on March 22, 2026. The Ford left Split, Croatia, on Thursday after more than a week in port for repairs and crew rest following an onboard fire last month, according to Navy officials. (Tajh Payne/U.S. Navy)
It did not specify what repairs were made in Croatia or say whether they were connected to the March 12 fire, which started in Ford’s main laundry areas and spread to nearby berthing compartments. The blaze was not combat-related, according to the Navy.
The service has released few details, saying only that an investigation into the fire is ongoing. Naval Criminal Investigative Service is leading a law enforcement investigation with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, NAVEUR-AF/6th Fleet said Wednesday.
An F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft readies for launch on the flight deck of USS Gerald R. Ford while underway in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, on March 22, 2026. Earlier this week, the Navy’s top officer said the Ford would likely enter a “record-breaking” 11th month of operations. (Tajh Payne/U.S. Navy)
Meanwhile, the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush departed its homeport in Norfolk, Va., on Tuesday to begin operations for its deployment, the Navy said at the time.
The Pentagon hasn’t announced where Bush will go, but the carrier reportedly will head across the Atlantic Ocean into the NAVEUR-AF/U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations, presumably to relieve Ford.
Prior to Croatia, Ford stopped at Naval Support Activity Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete on March 23 for assessment and repairs related to the fire, which occurred while the carrier was on station in the Red Sea.
The three-day port call at Souda Bay included rehabilitation of seven berthing compartments and a repair assessment by service maintenance personnel, such as structural engineers, naval architects and other experts.
Two of the sailors injured in the fire returned to full duty shortly thereafter, while a third was flown off the ship in stable condition for additional medical care, the Navy said at the time.
The fire did not affect the carrier’s propulsion plant and it continued to carry out flight operations, officials have said.
Ford’s three destroyer escorts — USS Bainbridge, USS Mahan and USS Winston S. Churchill — also have left the Middle East, making the northbound passage through the Suez Canal, USNI News reported Monday.
