NORFOLK, Va. — The world’s largest and most advanced aircraft carrier returned home on Saturday, May 16, 2026, concluding a historic and grueling 11-month deployment that pushed both the warship and its crew to their limits.
The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and its Carrier Strike Group docked at Naval Station Norfolk, greeted by thousands of eager family members and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. The deployment, which spanned 326 days at sea after departing Virginia in June 2025, officially marks the longest post-Vietnam War carrier strike group deployment in modern U.S. history.
While the U.S. Navy does not release a full public roster of the 4,500 crew members by home state due to privacy and security protocols, warships of this size consistently feature a diverse crew representing all 50 states.
During its nearly year-long voyage, the strike group sailed more than 57,713 nautical miles—the equivalent of circling the globe more than two times.
While initially sent to Europe, the strike group was dynamically rerouted to handle unfolding global conflicts across the U.S. 4th, 5th, and 6th Fleets. Navy officials detailed several high-stakes operations conducted during the deployment:
- Operations Southern Spear and Absolute Resolve: Conducted in the Caribbean Sea under U.S. Southern Command, which included a massive naval buildup and operations connected to the apprehension of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
- Operation Epic Fury: Staged in the Red Sea and Middle East following U.S. combat engagements with Iran.
Throughout these operations, the embarked Carrier Air Wing 8 launched more than 12,200 tactical flights and dropped over 200 tons of ordnance. In recognition of their extraordinary heroism in the face of an armed enemy, Secretary Hegseth presented Carrier Strike Group 12 with the Presidential Unit Citation—the highest honor a military unit can receive.
The record-breaking timeframe took a heavy toll on the ship’s infrastructure and quality of life.
On March 12, a major non-combat fire broke out in the Gerald R. Ford’s main laundry facility. The fire took 30 hours to fully extinguish, resulting in smoke-related injuries for nearly 200 sailors and displacing more than 600 service members from their charred sleeping quarters, forcing many to sleep on tables and floors. The ship had to pause for emergency repairs in Souda Bay, Greece, and Split, Croatia, before returning to combat duties.
Additionally, the crew battled severe, recurring infrastructure failures. The ship’s vacuum plumbing system suffered massive issues, prompting 32 urgent maintenance calls in 2025 alone to address malfunctioning toilets affecting hundreds of crew members.
In a statement, Rep. Elaine Luria praised the crew’s endurance, calling the deployment “incredibly long, challenging, and demanding,” while thanking the nearly 4,500 sailors and their families for an unprecedented level of sacrifice.
