Multiple Operations In Multiple Regions

It is unlikely that the USS Gerald R. Ford will spend an entire year at sea, but the crew has certainly experienced what might feel like even more than four seasons since departing from Naval Station Norfolk on June 24, 2025, just days after the start of summer.

It was almost expected at the time that CVN-78 would head to the Middle East, where the United States Navy had deployed a series of aircraft carriers since the start of the Gaza War in October 2023; instead, the newest operational flattop and her carrier strike group headed to the North Sea and then visited Oslo, before taking part in joint operations with NATO forces in the “High North Region” from late September to early October.

During that time, CVN-78 and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81) conducted flight operations and strike exercises in the Norwegian Sea in collaboration with the Royal Norwegian Air Force.

Following the training exercises in the High North, USS Gerald R. Ford was then dispatched to the Mediterranean Sea, transiting the Strait of Gibraltar on October 1. The time in the European waters was cut short, however.

During a port visit to Split, Croatia, later that month, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the supercarrier to the Caribbean to support Operation Southern Spear, the ongoing drug interdiction campaign, which had also enforced a blockade of oil tankers connected to Venezuela.

CVN-78 was then among the warships operating in the region when the U.S. military carried out Operation Absolute Resolve, the mission that saw the successful capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at their compound in Caracas.

It was also expected that the USS Gerald R. Ford would return to Naval Station Norfolk in early 2026, but in February, the aircraft carrier was sent back to the Mediterranean, where she has been a critical component of Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing aerial campaign directed against Iran.

The decision to extend CVN-78’s deployment served as a reminder that the U.S. Navy doesn’t have enough carriers to deal with multiple crises at once.

Clogging Toilets, A Fire, And Gremlins In The Systems

The nearly 300 days at sea have been far from smooth sailing. In mid-March, a fire broke out in one of the carrier’s laundry rooms and took nearly 30 hours to be brought under control. Due to smoke damage, around 600 sailors lost access to their bunks, which required mattresses to be flown in from the yet-to-be-commissioned USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), which has been undergoing sea trials and final fitting out at Norfolk.

CVN-78 was forced to head to the Greek island of Crete and then back to Split, Croatia, to undergo repairs before being sent back to sea last week.

The fire was also only the most recent issue, as the warship continues to deal with clogging toilets, with half of its gender-neutral lavatories out of service at a time.

CNN.com also reported that there have been other “gremlins” plaguing the supercarrier, as “components wear out and repairs at sea serve as temporary band aids. Arresting cables that catch landing aircraft begin to fray and saltwater seeps into shipboard systems,” all of which is taking a toll on daily operations.

300 Or More Days At Sea – Not The Norm

Such lengthy deployments are far from the norm in the modern era, or at least were, which is why it is notable that USS Gerald R. Ford could be spending 300 days or longer at sea. But the issue is that the U.S. Navy only has 11 nuclear-powered supercarriers in service, and really, that’s on a technicality.

The USS Nimitz (CVN-68), the oldest of the sea service’s aircraft carriers, is now underway from Bremerton, Wash., to Norfolk, where she was scheduled to be decommissioned in the coming weeks. As CVN-79, the second Gerald R. Ford-class flattop, is now running behind schedule, CVN-68 won’t be officially decommissioned until next March.

Yet, USS Nimitz won’t likely see another overseas deployment, and her current homeport shift mission is a goodwill/farewell tour during which she’ll take part in joint operations with the maritime services of U.S. partners in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The USS Gerald R. Ford is likely to remain deployed in the Mediterranean, at least until USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) arrives in the region. The 10th and final Nimitz-class carrier departed from Naval Station Norfolk late last month.

However, as the U.S. was unable to reach a peace deal with Iran on Saturday, and President Donald Trump has vowed to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, CVN-78 may see her deployment further extended; the question is just for how long.