NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk-based USS Gerald R. Ford returned to the Souda Bay near the Greek island Crete as part of a scheduled port visit on Tuesday, officials announced.
The nearly 5,000 sailors and a deck of warplanes aboard the Ford previously made a stop at the Souda Bay port on Dec. 2, according to the ship's Facebook page.
The Ford Carrier Strike Group (CSG) was diverted to the Eastern Mediterranean on Oct. 8 to assist in the Israel-Hamas war that ignited the prior day. Then, on Oct. 17, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the ship's initial deployment would be extended.
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The Ford first set sail in May for a six-month deployment that was expected to end in early November.
The arrival in Greece comes nearly two weeks after Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder was asked how long U.S. ships would be positioned in the Eastern Mediterranean.
"I don't have anything to announce in terms of redeployment," Ryder said. "And obviously, I'm not going to talk about future deployments or redeployments. But at the appropriate time, like any time, certainly we'll keep you updated."
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The ship is the Navy's latest and most advanced aircraft carrier and includes squadrons from Naval Air Station Oceana, as well as the Norfolk-based USS Normandy and USS Ramage.
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, another Norfolk-based carrier strike group, was also directed to the Eastern Mediterranean.