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Gerald R. Ford’s Toilet Failures Shadow Record-Length Cruise as Carrier Departs Crete

The Navy maintains the carrier remains mission-capable despite an undersized vacuum waste system.

Overview

  • After a brief stop in Souda Bay, new footage shows the carrier leaving Crete en route to the Near East.
  • The ship has been continuously deployed since June 2025, and observers say a return in May would push the mission to roughly 11 months.
  • A GAO finding and Navy records point to undersized wastewater piping that contributes to widespread toilet outages across the ship.
  • Maintenance logs cite 32 service calls in 2025 and report acid cleanings costing about $400,000 each, with technicians also pulling foreign objects from clogged lines.
  • Crew members describe weeks without contact with families and mounting fatigue, while the Navy plans post-deployment retrofit work in Norfolk.