Historic record for the USS Gerald Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world. It surpassed all American missions since the Vietnam War
The American aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford, which was involved in the military operations by which the US attacked Iran, broke the record for the longest mission since the Vietnam War, reports Le Parisien and Bussines Insider.
The world's largest and most expensive aircraft carrier has been on mission for 297 days. During this period of almost 10 months, he participated both in the military raid in Venezuela, when Nicolas Maduro was captured, and in the war with Iran, during which several representatives of the regime in Tehran were killed.
Wednesday was the ship's 295th day at sea, surpassing the previous longest mission by an aircraft carrier in 50 years, when the USS Abraham Lincoln was deployed for 294 days in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data compiled by US Naval Institute News, a news outlet run by the US Naval Institute, a non-profit organization.
The all-time record is still held by the now decommissioned USS Midway, which was deployed for 332 days between 1972 and 1973.
The long mission raises questions about the impact on service members away from home for long periods, as well as the increasing strain on the ship and its equipment, AP writes.
USS Gerald Ford began her mission in June 2025, heading to the Mediterranean Sea from her home port of Norfolk, Virginia. The military changed its route to the Caribbean Sea in October as part of the largest naval buildup in the region in generations.
The aircraft carrier took part in the early days of the Iran war in the Mediterranean before crossing the Suez Canal and heading for the Red Sea in early March.
However, a fire in one of the aircraft carrier's washrooms forced it to return to the Mediterranean for repairs.
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said the record-breaking mission had a “severe impact” on the crew's mental health.
“They should be at home with their loved ones, not sent around the world by a president who acts as if the US military is his palace guard,” the Democrat said in a statement.
Two senior US Navy officers said they expect the warship to remain on the mission for about 11 months. The ship is therefore expected to return to its home port at the end of May, according to the Associated Press.
