USS Gerald R. Ford Returns to Port After Year-Long Deployment

The newest and largest aircraft carrier of the United States, USS Gerald R. Ford, is scheduled to return to port in Virginia on Saturday (May 16) local time. This marks the end of an operational assignment lasting almost a year, filled with strategic military missions as well as technical challenges aboard the ship.

This voyage will be recorded in history as the longest operational assignment by a U.S. aircraft carrier since the end of the Vietnam War. For nearly 12 months, this US$13 billion (approximately IDR 208 trillion) vessel served as the spearhead for various foreign military objectives of President Donald Trump.

Current and former military officials state that the USS Gerald R. Ford played a crucial role in U.S. military operations in Iran and Venezuela. In Venezuela, the ship launched aircraft that participated in the mission to apprehend former President Nicolás Maduro in January.

Meanwhile, in the conflict in the Middle East, the ship served as a main platform for sending waves of fighter jets in operations against Iran. The ship’s main advantage lies in its electronic catapult system, which is capable of launching various types of aircraft, from small drones to large fighter planes. This capability is not possessed by the other 10 U.S. aircraft carriers.

Despite its sophistication, this voyage was not without serious obstacles. In March, a major fire broke out in the ship’s laundry area. The crew took about 30 hours to extinguish the fire, clean up the site, and ensure that the fire did not reignite.

As a result of the incident, about 600 sailors lost access to their beds due to damage to the infrastructure. In addition, the ship experienced problems with its toilet system, which caused intermittent outages, forcing the ship to dock in port for emergency repairs.

For the crew’s families, this return marks the end of a long and tense wait. Amini Osias, father of an aviation electrician on the USS Gerald R. Ford, expressed his relief to CNN.

“Now I can really relax, breathe easy, and get back to a normal sleep pattern,” said Osias. He admitted that he had been worried, especially when he heard about the fire on board, even though the ship was known as the most advanced in the U.S. Navy fleet.

Now, after passing through various conflict zones and technical challenges, thousands of sailors aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford are preparing to reunite with their families in Virginia. (I-2)