USS Gerald R. Ford nears 1964 deployment record

The USS Gerald R. Ford has now been deployed for 295 days, breaking the record for the longest U.S. aircraft carrier deployment since the Cold War. The nuclear-powered carrier originally deployed from Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia on June 24, 2025, and was first extended to support Operation Absolute Resolve in the Caribbean Sea targeting Nicolás Maduro. After that mission, it was redeployed to the Red Sea for Operation Epic Fury against Iran, where a washroom fire forced it to retreat to Greece for repairs. The carrier has since completed repairs and is now operating in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, with just 37 days remaining until it could break the longest carrier deployment record since 1964.