The USS Gerald R. Ford crossed the Strait of Gibraltar on Wednesday after finishing a historic and extended assignment. This transit anchors the end of a record 316-day tour that spanned three different global land masses.
Now the vessel heads home to Virginia after eleven months of duty on the high seas. And it stands as the longest carrier mission recorded since the height of the Vietnam War era.
The carrier began its tour in Northern Europe during the early summer months of June 2025. But orders redirected the ship to the Caribbean to enforce a strict and total naval blockade.
This blockade triggered the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro during the early months of 2026. So the mission then shifted to the Red Sea to conduct the intense and dangerous Operation Epic Fury.
A laundry room fire forced the ship into Croatia for emergency repairs during March 2026. Yet the crew managed these mechanical failures while maintaining high readiness levels during the difficult shipyard repairs.
The Ford reaches Norfolk this May. The Lincoln and Bush remain on station. They monitor the fragile ceasefire from their current naval positions in the Middle East waters.
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