Overview
- U.S. officials said Wednesday the carrier will depart the Middle East in the coming days and reach its Virginia home port in mid-May.
- The cruise has passed 300 days at sea and broke the post‑Vietnam carrier record after surpassing 295 days on April 15, with a senior admiral saying it will total about 11 months.
- The Ford’s exit follows a stretch when it operated alongside the USS George H.W. Bush and USS Abraham Lincoln, a three‑carrier concentration not seen in the region since 2003.
- The deployment began June 24, 2025, shifted to the Caribbean for the operation that captured Nicolás Maduro, then supported the opening phase of the war against Iran before moving through the Suez into the Red Sea in early March.
- A non‑combat fire in a laundry space in March injured two sailors, displaced more than 600 from their bunks, and led to repairs in Crete, adding to concerns about crew strain and maintenance needs.