NORFOLK, Va. — The Norfolk-based USS Gerald R. Ford made it to the Mediterranean Sea Thursday, more than a month after the carrier set sail on its first major deployment.
The carrier is headed to the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet alongside a full carrier strike group and air wing.
The Navy hasn't shared how long the deployment will last, but USNI News reports that the Ford will continue a naval presence in the Mediterranean that began in late 2021 ahead of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
After its May 2 departure from Naval Station Norfolk, the Ford made its first port call in Oslo, Norway on May 24, the first time a U.S. aircraft carrier visited that country in 65 years, according to the Navy.
The Navy took to social media Thursday to share pictures of the carrier crossing through the Strait of Gibraltar that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean.
"Farewell Arctic Circle, hello Mediterranean Sea," the carrier wrote.
The Ford's deployment comes after years of technical setbacks, cost overruns and delays.
Construction of the $13 billion first-in-its-class carrier began at Newport News Shipbuilding in 2009 and was commissioned in 2017, marking the first new U.S. aircraft carrier designed in more than 40 years. But it faced several challenges related to 23 new advanced onboard technological systems.
In October 2022, the Ford deployed to the North Atlantic to participate in exercises with eight NATO partners and allies. The carrier operated with Canada, Denmark, Spain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden before returning to homeport in late November.
