WASHINGTON — The aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford will return home on Saturday — wrapping up more than 320 days at sea, according to the service’s top officer.
The Ford departed Naval Station Norfolk on June 24, 2025, and has been underway for 324 days at sea as of today — breaking the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln’s previous record of 294 days at sea in 2019 and 2020 for the longest deployment since the Vietnam War era.
“We’re going to give our heroes a welcome back on Saturday,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle told lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee today. “And it’s just an extraordinary ship, extraordinary crew, an extraordinary strike group, and the sailors I could be more proud of.”
The Ford’s deployment rivals those during the Vietnam War, including the aircraft carrier Coral Sea’s 329-day deployment and the Midway’s 332-day deployment during the Vietnam War, according to a USNI News carrier database tracking flattop deployments.
“It is an incredible record-breaking deployment,” Caudle said today. “Hasn’t been one that long since the Vietnam War. That’s a backhanded compliment to the Navy. On one side, I wish I had more capacity to flow additional strike groups in the theater. And on the other hand, the durability and the way we construct our ships actually shows what can be done with that new class — world-record sortie generation rate on that class.”
While at sea, the Ford operated in the High North region with NATO allies, and the Eastern Mediterranean. The ship then headed to the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) as part of the Trump administration’s naval buildup there leading up to Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro’s removal in January.
The carrier then shifted again to support operations in the Middle East, including Operation Epic Fury, with the Abraham Lincoln. According to Caudle, the Ford completed five Suez Canal transits while in the region.
Meanwhile, aircraft from Carrier Air Wing 8 embarked on the Ford returned to their home naval air stations on Monday, according to the Navy.
“The officers and Sailors of Carrier Air Wing 8 have served their nation with distinction,” Rear Adm. Rich Brophy, commander of Naval Air Force Atlantic, said in a statement on Wednesday. “Throughout their record-breaking deployment, these aviators successfully conducted worldwide operations, embodying the highest ideals of resilience, courage, and selfless service to the nation.”
Due to the lengthy period underway, the ship is expected to face increased maintenance in comparison to a standard, seven-month deployment, according to Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao.
“For every 30 days that the ship is extended on deployment, it adds 6 percent of maintenance, so five months extra would add 30 percent for maintenance,” Cao told lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday.
