The USS Gerald R. Ford left the Port of Split, Croatia Thursday after the crew was given five days leave while the ship was being repaired.
Video circulating online showed extensive charring inside the ship from a March 12 fire in the laundry room. At least 100 berthing areas were damaged.
“The ship’s crew took time to enjoy some liberty in Croatia’s historic and hospitable city, as well as go on tours and events scheduled by the ship’s Morale, Welfare, and Recreation team. Additionally, the ship completed scheduled repairs and received supplies to sustain operations,” said LT j.g. Lacy Burkett, spokesman for Navy 6th Fleet.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle confirmed this week that the Navy expects the ship to set a record for a deployment by an aircraft carrier. The Ford left Norfolk on June 24 and it is expected to remain at sea for 11 months as the war with Iran continues.
“That is an extraordinary thing to even think about that, that deployment length,” Caudle said during an event sponsored by CSIS Defense and Security Department and the U.S. Naval Institute.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The carrier stopped flying planes for two days, but restarted flight operations before it was eventually sent for repairs in Sauda Bay, Crete, Caudle said.
During its months at sea, the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group has gone from the Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean. It was rerouted to the Caribbean to be part of the U.S. operation against Venezuela before being sent back to the Mediterranean and Red Sea to be part of the U.S. bombardment of Iran.
Aside from the fire, the ship has had issues with its sewage treatment system, which impacts the toilets for the more than 4,000 sailors on board.
Several media reports say the carrier will eventually be replaced by the USS George H.W. Bush, which left Norfolk earlier in the week.
Several other Norfolk-based ships have been sent to the Middle East. The destroyer USS Gonzalez, with its crew of 300 sailors, left Norfolk on March 17 and entered the Mediterranean on Friday.
