USS Gerald R. Ford cuts through the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Mar. 22, 2026. The Ford surpassed 296 days deployed as of Wednesday, breaking the post-Vietnam War record for the longest U.S. aircraft carrier deployment. (Tajh Payne/U.S. Navy)
NAPLES, Italy — The Navy’s newest and largest aircraft carrier reached its 296th day of deployment Wednesday, setting a post-Vietnam War record.
That nearly 10-month mark for USS Gerald R. Ford passes a previous record set by USS Abraham Lincoln, which finished a 295-day deployment in January 2020. The Navy said then that Lincoln’s was the longest carrier deployment in the post-Cold War era.
The transfer of that title to Ford is the latest development in a whipsaw deployment that has seen the ship and its more than 4,500 embarked personnel on station in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Red seas.
It also included a shipboard fire that injured three sailors and displaced hundreds more. The blaze was unrelated to combat, Navy officials have said.
USS Gerald R. Ford arrives at the Croatian port city of Split, Mar. 28, 2026. The port call came weeks before the Ford broke the post-Vietnam War record for longest U.S. carrier deployment, surpassing 296 days underway as of Wednesday. (India AaronTerrell/U.S. Navy)
In a statement Wednesday, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia said he was grateful for how Ford sailors had conducted themselves during their deployment. He added that he understood the sacrifices they have made over the last 10 months amid a twice-extended deployment.
“They should be home with their loved ones,” said Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower.
Ford’s new record may be bested yet. The carrier likely will go into a “record-breaking” 11th month of deployment, Adm. Daryl Caudle said recently.
If that happens, the ship could eclipse some of the longest carrier deployments since 1964, including that of USS Midway, which was deployed for 332 days in 1972-73, according to USNI News data.
USS Nimitz completed a nearly 11-month deployment in 2021 that included a pre-deployment quarantine due to COVID-19. In all, Nimitz saw some 263 days underway for national tasking, according to USNI.
On Wednesday, Ford remained in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations, a defense official said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
A U.S. sailor inspects arresting wire gear on the flight deck of USS Gerald R. Ford in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Mar. 22, 2026. The Ford's deployment has stretched to nearly 11 months, extended by the carrier's ongoing operations in the Mediterranean region. (India AaronTerrell/U.S. Navy)
The NAVEUR-AF/6th Fleet operating area includes the eastern Mediterranean, where the carrier was spotted Monday on satellite images along with three destroyers and two supply vessels, according to a ship watcher.
Ford left its homeport in Norfolk, Va., on June 24 for a routine deployment to Europe.
In October, it was ordered from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean and was in the region for the capture and arrest of former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January.
The carrier was presumably nearing the end of an eight-month deployment when it was ordered to the Middle East in February amid rising tensions with Iran.
In early March, Ford entered the Red Sea, continuing its role in Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israel campaign against Iran.
About a week later was the fire, which started in the ship’s main laundry areas and displaced some 600 personnel. The injuries to the three sailors were not life-threatening.
Ford then returned to Naval Support Activity Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete on March 23 for an assessment and repairs, including rehabilitation of seven berthing compartments.
Flight deck crew prepare an F/A-18F Super Hornet for launch aboard USS Gerald R. Ford in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Mar. 22, 2026. The Ford's deployment has surpassed 296 days, breaking the post-Vietnam War record previously held by USS Abraham Lincoln, which was at sea for 294 days in 2019-2020. (Tajh Payne/U.S. Navy)
The Navy has offered few details about the fire, saying earlier this month that it remained under investigation.
After a port visit to Split, Croatia, for scheduled maintenance and crew rest, the carrier resumed operations April 3.
The Ford Carrier Strike Group includes Carrier Air Wing 8 and the destroyers USS Winston S. Churchill and USS Mahan.
Meanwhile, the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, which had been expected to relieve Ford, is operating along the southwestern coast of Africa, presumably heading to the Middle East.
The route allows Bush to avoid transiting the Suez Canal and into the Red Sea under potential threat of Iran-backed Houthi militants.
The Navy is building up its forces in the Persian Gulf as it enforces a blockade against Iran-linked ships and works to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz is clear of Iranian sea mines.
The Bush Carrier Strike Group includes Carrier Air Wing 7 and the destroyers USS Mason, USS Donald Cook and USS Ross.
