USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) departs Split, Croatia, on Thursday.
(U.S. Navy photo)
The extended deployment of the United States Navy’s largest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), is set to last a bit longer. The supercarrier departed from Split, Croatia, on Thursday after undergoing repairs during a five-day port visit, the U.S. Navy announced.
It was last month that CVN-78 suffered a fire in the laundry facility that took several hours to contain and impacted operations for two days. One crewman was airlifted off the ship, while more than 100 sailors suffered smoke inhalation.
The U.S. Navy didn’t indicate the extent of the repairs, but said, “Gerald R. Ford remains poised for full mission tasking in support of national objectives in any area of operation.”
The sea service also did not state where the lead vessel of the new Ford-class of aircraft carriers will head, but The Wall Street Journal first reported that CVN-78 won’t be heading back to her home port of Naval Station Norfolk. Instead, the warship could head back to the Middle East, as the United States military continues to conduct airstrikes on positions in Iran as part of the ongoing Operation Epic Fury.
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) departed Naval Station Norfolk for a regularly scheduled deployment on Tuesday.
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jayden Brown)
CVN-78 will likely continue to support the U.S. Central Command operations until USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), the 10th and final Nimitz-class supercarrier, arrives to relieve USS Gerald R. Ford.
On Tuesday, CVN-77 departed from Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, beginning her latest scheduled deployment. It could take until at least next weekend for USS George H.W. Bush to reach the eastern Mediterranean.
As of Friday, USS Gerald R. Ford has been deployed for 283 days, and she is on track to surpass the post-Vietnam War record of 294 days at sea, set by the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class supercarrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) in 2020.
Still, the port call to Split may have offered much-needed downtime for CVN-78’s personnel.
“The ship’s crew took time to enjoy some liberty in Croatia’s historic and hospitable city, as well as go on tours and events scheduled by the ship’s Morale, Welfare, and Recreation team,” the U.S. Navy added. “Additionally, the ship completed scheduled repairs and received supplies to sustain operations. The routine investigation into the ship’s laundry and berthing fire is ongoing.”
The USS Abraham Lincoln will have to spend considerable time at sea for her deployment to reach the length of the 2020 record. The fifth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier “quietly” departed Naval Station San Diego for a Pacific deployment on November 21, 2025.
The flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3, with embarked Carrier Air Wing 9 (CVW-9), was operating in the South China Sea in January, when she was redirected to the Middle East. CVN-72 is the first U.S. Navy flattop to operate in the Arabian Sea since USS Nimitz (CVN-68) departed the region in October 2025.
The U.S. Navy has said how long CVN-72 could remain in the Middle East.
The U.S. military has continued to deploy additional assets to the Middle East. Last week, the San Diego-based Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD-4) began her 2026 deployment, heading to the region with 2,200 Marines from Camp Pendleton. LHD-4 was joined by the Whidbey Island-class dock-landing ship USS Comstock (LSD-45) and the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Portland (LPD-27).
The U.S. Navy also confirmed this week that the America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA-7) is now operating in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. The flagship of the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group is carrying units of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, a rapid-response force of 2,200 personnel based on Okinawa, Japan.
Dozens of U.S. Air Force Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II multirole fighters have been deployed to bases in the Middle East, and the Air Force was also moving Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support efforts to open the Strait of Hormuz.
A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft refuels from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility during Operation Epic Fury.
(U.S. Air Force photo)
The CAS aircraft arrived at Royal Air Force Lakenheath in the UK on Monday evening, having flown from Pease Air National Guard Base in New Hampshire. The A-10s are assigned to the 107th Fighter Squadron, Michigan Air National Guard, at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, north of Detroit. The aircraft crossed the Atlantic, supported by eight KC-135 Stratotankers, with four of the aerial fuelers operating from RAF Mildenhall and four others from Bangor ANGB, Maine. The A-10 Thunderbolt IIs could be used to target Iran’s vast fleet of small attack boats.
U.S. Air Force A-10s took part in live-fire gunnery drills with the US Navy’s Independence-class littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Santa Barbara (LCS-32) in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility in February. The demonstration was to highlight how an A-10 could provide close air support against maritime targets.
U.S. Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers have also been taking part in the airstrikes on the Islamic Republic, reportedly carrying JDAM-guided gravity bombs. U.S. Rockwell B-1B Lancers operating from the UK, and Northrop B-2 Spirits, flying CONUS-to-CONUS missions from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, continue to take part in Operation Epic Fury.
此内容由惯性聚合(RSS阅读器)自动聚合整理，仅供阅读参考。 原文来自 — 版权归原作者所有。