The USS Gerald Ford returned to its Virginia base on Saturday after the longest deployment by a carrier since the Vietnam war.
The world's largest aircraft carrier completed the longest deployment by a carrier since the Vietnam war, which involved missions in the ongoing Iran conflict and the capture of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro in January, when he was the president.
The 100,000-ton USS Ford, with about with about 4,500 sailors who had been on it since June last, docked at Naval Station Norfolk along with two accompanying destroyers on Saturday, AP reported.
During the 11-month voyage, the sailor had to also battle a fire not related to any combat mission, which left manny without places to sleep. The carrier underwent lengthy repairs on the Greek island of Crete in March this year before returning home.
Aircraft carriers are designed to be on sea for up to seven months, according to a CNN report.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was present to accord a reception to the warships, which included the destroyers USS Bainbridge the USS Mahan. "You didn't just accomplish a mission, you made history. You made a nation proud," Hegseth said.
The US Naval Institute News said the Ford's 326 days at sea is the longest for an aircraft carrier in the past 50 years. The only deployments that exceeded Ford's stint were the 1973 deployment of USS Midway at 332 days and the 1965 deployment of USS Coral Sea which clocked 329 days, the AP report said citing the news outlet run by the US Naval Institute.
The crew of the USS Nimitz was on duty for 341 days in 2020 and 2021, though the number of days included extended isolation periods during the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
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.
Unconfirmed reports said the fire raged on board the USS Ford raged for some 30 hours before being extinguished, spurring safety concerns. The reported span is longer than the devastating 1967 USS Forrestal carrier fire, which continued for about 24 hours.
After leaving Virginia coast in June, though the carrier headed to Mediterranean, it was rerouted to the Caribbean, reportedly as part of a US naval build up in the run-up to the operation to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
After the ouster of Maduro, the USS Ford headed to the Middle East as US ratcheted up pressure on Iran. The carrier participated in the initial days of the Iran war from the Mediterranean Sea.
The aircraft carrier then sailed through the Suez Canal and heading into the Red Sea.
