USS Ford Carrier Sets Record with Overseas Deployment, Supported Iran War and Arrest of Maduro

(CNA, Norfolk, VA, May 16) The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, returned to Virginia today after an 11-month overseas deployment, the longest for a U.S. carrier since the Vietnam War. During its mission, the Ford supported a U.S. war with Iran and assisted U.S. forces in the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The state-of-the-art U.S. warship, along with its two escort destroyers, the USS Bainbridge and USS Mahan, docked at Naval Station Norfolk, where about 5,000 sailors reunited with their families for the first time since last June. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was present to welcome the ships. In recognition of their service during the Iran war, the Ford and its accompanying ships were awarded the highly distinguished Presidential Unit Citation. According to U.S. Naval Institute News, the Ford spent 326 days at sea, a record for a carrier since the Vietnam War.