The USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier, dispatched to the Middle East ahead of the war with Iran, returned to the United States on Saturday after a 326‑day mission, the Pentagon said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth greeted the world’s largest aircraft carrier in Norfolk, Virginia, the US military announced on X.
The deployment was the longest for a US carrier strike group since the Vietnam War, AFP reports.
The Ford’s mission began in the Caribbean, where US forces struck suspected drug‑smuggling boats, interdicted sanctioned tankers, and seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. It was later sent to the Middle East to join combat operations against Iran.
The extended deployment was marked by incidents at sea. On 12 March, a laundry room fire injured two sailors and damaged about 100 beds, according to the military.
The carrier also reportedly struggled with persistent problems in its toilet system.
