U.S. Navy Supercarrier’s Record-Long Deployment To End On Saturday

BusinessAerospace & DefenseU.S. Navy Supercarrier’s Record-Long Deployment To End On SaturdayByPeter Suciu,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Peter Suciu covers trends in the world of aerospace and defense.Follow AuthorMay 15, 2026, 09:17am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.USS Gerald R. Ford is expected to arrive at Naval Station Norfolk on Saturday (Photo by Paige Brown/US Navy via Getty Images)Getty ImagesThe longest deployment of a United States Navy aircraft carrier since the Vietnam War, and the longest ever for a nuclear-powered flattop, will finally come to an end on Saturday. When she finally arrives home, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), the United States Navy’s newest and largest supercarrier, will have spent 326 days at sea since departing from Naval Station Norfolk on June 24, 2025.“We’re going to give our heroes a welcome back on Saturday,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle told lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday. “And it’s just an extraordinary ship, extraordinary crew, an extraordinary strike group, and the sailors I couldn’t be more proud of.”In addition to the flagship of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (CSG-12), the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 2 (DESRON-2), the Norfolk-based USS Bainbridge (DDG-96) and USS Mahan (DDG-72), and Naval Station Mayport, Florida-based USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81) also spent nearly 11 months deployed.This is only the second full deployment of CVN-78, but it greatly exceeded the total of 239 days she spent at sea during her 2023-2024 deployment, which was extended twice in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict. The arrival of the warships at their home ports will follow that of the embarked Carrier Air Wing 8 (CVW-8), which returned to their home bases at Naval Station Norfolk and Naval Air Station...