The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is the lead ship of the U.S. Navy‘s Ford-class nuclear-powered supercarriers.
It holds the records as the world’s largest aircraft carrier and the largest warship of any type ever constructed. (Yes, even the World War II-era Imperial Japanese Navy battleships Yamato and Musashi paled in comparison).
A view of the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) from aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) as Normandy participates in a Tactical Force Exercise as part of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, Oct. 13, 2022. Ford is on its inaugural deployment conducting training and operations alongside NATO Allies and partners to enhance integration for future operations and demonstrate the U.S. Navy’s commitment to a peaceful, stable and conflict-free Atlantic region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Malachi Lakey)
The Ford has already earned her proverbial spurs in combat multiple times over, from Venezuela to Iran. However, those spurs have come at a heavy price. Indeed, in the spirit of the title of Audie Murphy’s bestselling autobiography, one could say that the Ford has been To Hell and Back.
The ship has experienced a long deployment extension that has taken its toll on her crew, both psychologically and physically.
A shipboard fire has put the Ford out of action and thus left the Navy with a shortage of carriers to fight Iran.
Though he didn’t predict the fire, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral Daryl Caudle anticipated the crew would be strained—Caudle pushed back against extending the Ford’s deployment.
Given the prescience of the good Admiral, one has to wonder with the benefit of hindsight if his superiors in Washington should have paid him heed.
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): CNO Pushback
In Admiral Caudle’s own words, as cited by DefenseOne reporter Meghann Myers in a January 14 article:
“If the president needs options in the Middle East, we can go build out what that looks like for him. I think the Ford, you know, from its capability perspective, would be an invaluable option for any military thing the president wants to do—but if it requires an extension, you know, it’s going to get some pushback from the office [of the CNO].”
Ever mindful of the civilian chain of command in the U.S. Armed Forces, the Admiral hastened to add that, “Regardless, the greatest honor you can have as a person in the Navy is to think you’re so valued that you need to be extended. So the sailors will rise to that occasion, if need be.”
Aircraft Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford Diagram. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
By the time Admiral Caudle made that statement, CVN-79 had already been deployed for seven months.
He expressed the concern that:
“When it goes past that, that disrupts lives. … to the financial and readiness aspects, we have maintenance agreements and contracts that have been made with yards that are going to repair the ships that are in that strike group, including the carrier itself. And so when those are tied to a specific time, the planning, the yard is expecting it to be there, all that is highly disrupted, okay?”
It’s not clear exactly what sort of “pushback” Admiral Caudle gave to President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, but ,needless to say, it was not sufficient to dissuade them.
ADM Caudle Background
Admiral Caudle is certainly well-qualified to speak about the effects on seamen of long-term deployments.
He spent much of his career on submarines—nuclear-powered fast-attack “hunter-killer” boats (SSNs) and ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) alike.
When on deployment, these crews don’t see the sun or breathe the open air for months at a time.
The first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) transits the Atlantic Ocean, March 19, 2023. Ford is underway in the Atlantic Ocean executing its Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), an intense, multi-week exercise designed to fully integrate a carrier strike group as a cohesive, multi-mission fighting force and to test their ability to carry out sustained combat operations from the sea. As the first-in-class ship of Ford-class aircraft carriers, CVN 78 represents a generational leap in the U.S. Navy’s capacity to project power on a global scale. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Adkins)
According to his official bio, Admiral Caudle (who earned his commission via Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island) served aboard the USS George Washington Carver (SSBN-656); USS Stonewall Jackson (SSN-634); USS Sand Lance (SSN-660); and as Executive Officer of USS Montpelier (SSN-765).
He then commanded the USS Jefferson City (SSN-759), USS Topeka (SSN-754), and USS Helena (SSN-725).
Present Status of the USS Gerald R. Ford
On March 29, Alison Bath reported for Stars and Stripes that the long-suffering warship had arrived in Split, Croatia, over the last weekend, after a stay of just three days in Greece—more specifically, U.S. Naval Support Activity Souda Bay on the island of Crete—for assessments and repairs.
Thankfully, that fire didn’t result in any deaths. However, 200 sailors were treated for smoke inhalation; they eventually returned to duty.
One sailor was medevaced from the vessel after being injured in the damage control effort, and two others were treated for lacerations.
(April 8, 2017) — Logistics Specialist 3rd Class Miguel Monduy, from Miami, Florida, and Aviation Ordnanceman Airman Michael Valdez, from Pheonix, Arizona, assigned to Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), stand on the flight deck for shifting colors. The future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is underway on its own power for the first time. The first-of-class ship — the first new U.S. aircraft carrier design in 40 years — will spend several days conducting builder’s sea trials, a comprehensive test of many of the ship’s key systems and technologies. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Gitte Schirrmacher)
As for the current whereabouts of the USS Gerald R. Ford, if you’re really that curious, you can use the Ship Tracker on the Cruising Earth website.
Just be mindful of the disclaimer that “The current location information above is an estimate from public reports and open-source intelligence. Exact positions are classified for operational security.”
She is heading back out to sea on duty, possibly to resume the war against Iran. Wow.
About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (with a concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He is also the author of the book “Five Decades of a Fabulous Firearm: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Beretta 92 Pistol Series,” the second edition of which was recently published.