NORFOLK: The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, returned home to Virginia on Saturday after an 11-month deployment, the longest since the Vietnam War, that saw her support the US war with Iran and the capture of Nicolás Maduro when he was president of Venezuela.
The US’s most advanced battleship and two accompanying destroyers docked at Naval Station Norfolk with about 5,000 sailors waiting to see their families for the first time since June. In addition to combat operations and crossing continents, sailors aboard the carrier faced a non-combat fire that left hundreds without a place to sleep and forced lengthy repairs on the Greek island of Crete.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was on hand for the arrival of the warships, which included the destroyer USS Bainbridge.
Hegseth praised the Bainbridge crew for a “job well done.”
“You didn’t just accomplish a mission, you made history,” Hegseth said on the deck of the destroyer. “You made a nation proud”.
Hegseth also spoke to the crews of the USS Mahan, a destroyer, and the Ford.
In recognition of their service during the Iran War, Ford and the ships accompanying them were awarded the prestigious Presidential Unit Citation, commended for “outstanding performance in action” against “a determined enemy”. It is the highest award a unit can receive and usually reserved for significant achievements in combat.
Ford’s 326 days at sea are the most for an aircraft carrier in 50 years and broke the record for the longest deployment since the Vietnam War, according to US Naval Institute News, a newspaper run by the US Naval Institute, a non-profit organization. The only longer deployments were the 1973 deployment of the USS Midway at 332 days and the 1965 deployment of the USS Coral Sea at 329 days.
Ford’s long time at sea has raised questions about the impact on service members who are away from home for long periods, as well as the increased strain on the ship and its equipment beyond the fire, which started in one of the carrier’s laundry spaces.
When Ford first left the Virginia coast in June, he headed for the Mediterranean. It was then redirected to the Caribbean Sea in October as part of the region’s biggest naval buildup in generations.
The carrier took part in the military operation in January to capture Maduro. Then it would see more battle, heading to the Middle East as tensions with Iran escalated. Ford took part in the opening days of the Iran war from the Mediterranean Sea before passing through the Suez Canal and into the Red Sea in early March.
Technically, the crew of the USS Nimitz was on duty and away from home for a total of 341 days in 2020 and 2021. However, this included extended periods of isolation ashore in the US, intended to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
