Overview
- U.S. officials told reporters Wednesday the carrier will depart the Middle East in the coming days and reach Virginia in mid-May, though the Navy has not announced it.
- The tour has stretched roughly 10 to 11 months, breaking the post‑Vietnam carrier record after day 296 and reaching about 309 days this week in what leaders say will affect its maintenance timeline.
- The Ford operated across multiple theaters, shifting from Europe to the Caribbean and later the Red Sea, including roles in the capture of Nicolás Maduro and in operations focused on Iran.
- A March fire in a laundry space took more than 30 hours to handle, displaced over 600 sailors from their berths, and injured two, leading to repairs in Crete and a port call in Croatia.
- With the Ford heading home, USS George H.W. Bush and USS Abraham Lincoln remain on station enforcing the Iran port blockade, and reporting indicates the White House intends to keep pressure on Tehran.