The world’s largest aircraft carrier finally returned to its home port in Virginia Saturday after a record 11-month deployment after overcoming Iranian threats, a dangerous fire – and big plumbing problems.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, with a crew of about 4,500 and a long to-do list, arrived at Naval Station Norfolk after an often crappy 326-day deployment – a post-Vietnam-era record. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was there for homecoming, which also included the crew of the destroyer USS Bainbridge.

Hegseth commended the crew of the Bainbridge for a “job well done.”

“You didn’t just accomplish a mission, you made history,” Hegseth said on the destroyer’s deck. “You made a nation proud.” Hegseth also spoke to the crews of the USS Mahan, a destroyer, and the Ford.

The carrier and its strike group joined operations around Venezuela, then shifted to the Middle East as part of Operation Epic Fury.

It began its deployment June 24, 2025, extending well beyond the more typical stretch of about six months.

That places a strain on the crew, but the ship also experienced a foul backup of a different kind. 

A fire broke out in the ship’s laundry facilities March 12, ripping through berthing cabins, displacing sailors and requiring laundry service by helicopter, The Post reported in March.

The $13 billion, 1,106 vessel has also had to deal with persistently clogged toilets with a high-tech sanitation system that has experienced problems going back years.  

Maintenance problems linked to its green design totaled at least $4 million.

It had to sail to Crete for repairs before returning to the fight after taking part in the attack on Iran.

Experts say a total overhaul could take it out of service for a year.

“We’re going to give our heroes a welcome back on Saturday and it’s just an extraordinary ship, extraordinary crew, an extraordinary strike group,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle told the House Armed Services Committee Thursday. “And the sailors, I could not be more proud of.”

The Ford’s 326 days at sea are the most for an aircraft carrier in the past 50 years and broke the record for the longest post-Vietnam War deployment, according to US Naval Institute News, a news outlet run by the US Naval Institute, a nonprofit organization.

The only longer deployments were the 1973 deployment of USS Midway at 332 days and the 1965 deployment of USS Coral Sea at 329 days.

The 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 about increasing strain on the ship and its equipment beyond the fire, which started in one of the carrier’s laundry spaces.

When the Ford first left Virginia’s coast in June, it headed to the Mediterranean Sea. It was then rerouted to the Caribbean Sea in October as part of the largest naval buildup in the region in generations.

The carrier took part in the military operation in January to capture Maduro. Then it would see more battle, heading toward the Middle East as tensions with Iran escalated.

The Ford participated in the opening days of the Iran war from the Mediterranean Sea before going through the Suez Canal and heading 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, that included extended isolation periods ashore in the US meant to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.