USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)

History

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the lead ship of the Gerald R. Ford class. The carrier was delivered to the Navy in 2017 and commissioned on 22 July 2017. It replaced USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in the fleet and has since completed two extended overseas deployments.

The ship is named for Gerald R. Ford, the 38th president of the United States, who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Construction began in 2005, and the ship later became the first operational example of a new generation of U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.

Following an extended 326-day deployment that ended in May 2026 and a fire aboard the carrier during that deployment, USS Gerald R. Ford entered a Planned Incremental Availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in July 2026. The Navy planned to complete the scheduled maintenance and modernization period in approximately six months while managing fire-related repairs through a separate availability.

Construction and commissioning

Construction began on 11 August 2005 with a ceremonial steel cut for a section of the ship's side shell. The keel was laid on 14 November 2009, and the carrier was christened on 9 November 2013. Historical milestones and naming details are summarized in the ship history.

Congress expressed support for naming CVN-78 after Gerald R. Ford in 2006. The Navy officially named the ship USS Gerald R. Ford on 16 January 2007. Ford's daughter, Susan Ford Bales, became the ship's sponsor.

USS Gerald R. Ford was delivered to the Navy on 31 May 2017 and formally commissioned on 22 July 2017. At commissioning, it was described as the world's largest aircraft carrier and the largest warship constructed to that time.

First deployment

The carrier departed Naval Station Norfolk on its first deployment on 2 May 2023. This deployment established the ship as an operational carrier following the extended development and integration period of the first vessel in its class.

2025-2026 deployment

USS Gerald R. Ford deployed again on 24 June 2025 as the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 12. During the deployment, the strike group operated across multiple U.S. fleet areas. The carrier returned to Naval Station Norfolk on 16 May 2026 after 326 days away from homeport.

According to the U.S. Navy, the ship sailed more than 57,713 nautical miles and completed 23 replenishments at sea during the deployment. Embarked Carrier Air Wing 8 accumulated more than 5,760 flight hours and conducted approximately 12,200 launches. The air wing included nine squadrons and a fleet logistics detachment.

The deployment included operations associated with Operation Southern Spear, Absolute Resolve and Operation Epic Fury. A later report described the 326-day deployment as the longest U.S. aircraft carrier deployment since the Vietnam War era, exceeding the 294-day deployment of USS Abraham Lincoln in 2019-2020.

Design

USS Gerald R. Ford is the first ship of the Gerald R. Ford class and is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier designed for U.S. Navy carrier aviation operations. As the lead ship, it introduced a new carrier class intended to replace earlier U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carriers over time.

The ship operates as the central aviation platform of a carrier strike group. Its embarked air wing can include strike fighters, electronic-attack aircraft, airborne command-and-control aircraft, helicopters and logistics aircraft. The exact composition changes between deployments and assignments.

During the 2025-2026 deployment, Carrier Air Wing 8 embarked aboard the carrier included VFA-37, VFA-213, VFA-31, VFA-87, VAQ-142, VAW-124, HSC-9, HSM-70 and a detachment from VRC-40. U.S. Navy media and operational material for the ship are maintained by DVIDS.

Operational history

After commissioning in 2017, USS Gerald R. Ford progressed into fleet service and began its first deployment in May 2023. The carrier subsequently returned to deployment with Carrier Strike Group 12 in June 2025.

The 2025-2026 deployment lasted 326 days and covered operations involving U.S. 4th, 5th and 6th Fleet areas. The ship returned to Norfolk on 16 May 2026. Its accompanying force included guided-missile destroyers USS Bainbridge, USS Mahan and USS Winston S. Churchill.

A fire occurred aboard the carrier in March 2026 while it was still deployed. Available reporting does not provide detailed damage specifications in the supplied material, but the incident created an additional repair requirement after the ship returned to Norfolk.

Maintenance and modernization

USS Gerald R. Ford entered a Planned Incremental Availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in July 2026. The availability combines scheduled maintenance and modernization work intended to prepare the ship for subsequent fleet service. U.S. Navy imagery published through DVIDS confirmed that the carrier was pier-side at Norfolk Naval Shipyard during the availability.

An earlier June 2026 report described a $17.6 million repair contract and suggested that extensive work could keep the carrier unavailable for 14 months or longer. Later information from Norfolk Naval Shipyard presented a substantially shorter schedule for the planned availability.

In September 2026, Norfolk Naval Shipyard Commander Rear Adm. Kavon Hakimzadah said the planned incremental availability remained targeted for completion in six months. According to Breaking Defense, the scheduled availability had initially been considered as a roughly 10-month effort before the shipyard committed to a six-month plan.

The fire-related work is being managed through a second availability overseen by the regional maintenance center with commercial participation. Hakimzadah said the Navy still intended to return the carrier after the six-month planned availability, although some follow-up or cleanup work could remain. This later shipyard statement differs from the longer maintenance estimate reported in June and represents the more recent official schedule in the supplied material.

Specifications (USS Gerald R. Ford CVN-78)

General characteristics

• Type: Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier
• Class: Gerald R. Ford class
• Position in class: Lead ship
• Hull number: CVN-78
• Operator: United States Navy
• Keel laid: 14 November 2009
• Christened: 9 November 2013
• Delivered: 31 May 2017
• Commissioned: 22 July 2017

Deployment data

• 2025-2026 deployment duration: 326 days
• Distance sailed during 2025-2026 deployment: More than 57,713 nautical miles
• Replenishments at sea during 2025-2026 deployment: 23
• Carrier Air Wing 8 flight time during deployment: More than 5,760 hours
• Aircraft launches during deployment: Approximately 12,200