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The Gurdian: Worldʼs largest aircraft carrier returns to US after record service time

Author:
Anastasiia Zaikova
Date:

The US aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford is returning to the US after more than 300 days of deployment, which included participation in the war against Iran and the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

This is reported by The Gurdian, citing sources.

The US Navy flagship, the Gerald R. Ford, will leave the Middle East in the coming days and return to port in Virginia around mid-May.

According to sources, it was a record deployment lasting more than 300 days — the longest for a US aircraft carrier since the Vietnam War.

The ship set sail in June and had a standard deployment cycle of 6-7 months, but its stay was repeatedly extended due to military operations.

The aircraft carrier was initially sent to the Mediterranean Sea, then to the Caribbean region, where the United States was making a large-scale force buildup. There, it participated in the operation to capture Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.

Subsequently, the Gerald R. Ford was also involved in combat operations against Iran, and from early March it operated in the Red Sea area after passing through the Suez Canal.

During service, the aircraft carrier experienced technical problems, including a fire in the wash bay, which caused part of the crew to be temporarily relocated while the ship underwent repairs.

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