The US Department of War (Pentagon) announced that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is preparing to receive the aircraft carrier "Gerald R. Ford" today upon its return from an 11-month mission.
The ministry explained in a statement that Hegseth intends to travel to Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia to welcome about 4,500 sailors and their families from the "Gerald Ford" carrier strike group, which includes the aircraft carrier "Gerald Ford" (CVN
78), the destroyer "Bainbridge" (DDG 96), and the destroyer "Mahan" (DDG 72).
The aircraft carrier "Gerald Ford" spent 326 days at sea, representing the longest deployment mission for a US aircraft carrier during the past 50 years, and the third longest period since the Vietnam War, according to data collected by the "USNI" news website affiliated with the US Naval Institute.
"Gerald Ford" broke the record for the longest deployment period after the Vietnam War on April 15, when it exceeded the deployment period of the carrier "Abraham Lincoln", which continued sailing for 295 days during 2020.
