Overview
- The carrier pulled into the NATO base at Souda Bay, Crete, for resupply while transiting toward the Middle East, according to on‑scene reporting and military sources.
- USS Gerald R. Ford has been at sea since June 2025 with multiple extensions, with sailors and families citing mounting strain and the captain acknowledging the impact in a Feb. 14 letter.
- Internal emails and FOIA records describe persistent failures in the ship’s vacuum sewage system, costly acid cleanings of clogged pipes, and near‑daily maintenance calls, though the Navy says mission capability remains intact.
- The Refueling and Complex Overhaul of USS John C. Stennis is roughly 14 months behind schedule, including work tied to a worn steam turbine, reducing shipyard throughput and pushing other carriers to stay out longer.
- The stop in Crete follows a broader U.S. military buildup and President Trump’s warnings of a potential limited strike if talks with Iran falter by early March, while Iranian state media amplify the Ford’s technical troubles and at least one circulated photo has been debunked as fake.