World’s largest warship breaks record for longest modern deployment

April 16, 2026, by Fatima Bahtić

The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), has broken the record for the longest post-Vietnam War-era deployment.

The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group departed on deployment from Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on June 24, 2025, conducting operations from the Arctic Circle, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and the Red Sea.

Now, April 15 marked 295 days since USS Gerald R. Ford first left the Naval Station Norfolk for a scheduled deployment.

The ship’s 295-day stretch at sea set a new record for aircraft carrier deployments, surpassing the extended mission of the USS Abraham Lincoln, the fifth Nimitz-class supercarrier, in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. USS Abraham Lincoln left its homeport in April 2020 and saw its deployment extended twice, returning home after 294 days spent at sea.

After departing its homeport, USS Gerald R. Ford, with nearly 4,500 sailors aboard, headed to the North Sea for routine operations with NATO partners Norway, Germany, and France.

World’s largest aircraft carrier operates in Arctic waters

Operations

In November 2025, the vessel entered the US Southern Command area of responsibility (USSOUTHCOM AOR), conducting missions in the Caribbean waters. The aircraft carrier was then redeployed to the Middle East to join the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group already operating in the region.

Most recently, Ford visited Split, Croatia, to resupply, refuel, and conduct repairs, following a fire incident in the Red Sea.

USS Gerald R. Ford concludes Croatia visit, resumes operations

Operations

Construction of USS Gerald R. Ford kicked off in August 2005, with Northrop Grumman performing a ceremonial steel cut for a 15-ton plate destined for the carrier’s side shell. The keel was officially laid on November 13, 2009.

The aircraft carrier was delivered to the US Navy in May 2017 and commissioned by President Donald Trump during a ceremony in July 2017. It completed its first deployment in 2024.