ISLAMABAD: The USS Gerald R. Ford, the US Navy’s newest and most expensive aircraft carrier, has pulled out of the Middle East and arrived at Souda Bay in Crete, Greece for repairs and resupply.
The US Navy said on Monday that the carrier had arrived in Greece for “maintenance and repairs” after operating in the Red Sea and stressed that it remained “fully mission capable.”
The immediate trigger for the move was on last week when fire that broke out in the ship’s main laundry spaces.
US Naval Forces Central Command said at the time that the blaze was not combat-related, had been contained, and had not damaged the ship’s propulsion plant, adding that the carrier remained fully operational.
However, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that the Ford’s problems “run a lot deeper” than the laundry-room fire, citing a Pentagon assessment that pointed to broader concerns surrounding the warship.
Those included questions about key systems and the vessel’s ability to sustain prolonged combat operations.
Reports have pointed to mounting strain on both the ship and its crew during an unusually long deployment.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the carrier’s move to Greece was also linked to continuing sewage-system problems, while earlier coverage said the Ford had been nearing one of the longest carrier deployments in recent US Navy history.
Business Insider reported that its departure left the USS Abraham Lincoln as the only US carrier in the region for now, even as the Navy insists the Ford’s stop in Crete is for assessment, repairs and resupply rather than a full end to its deployment.
Taken together, the development suggests that while the Navy is publicly projecting confidence, the Ford’s move to Greece has become a focal point for wider concerns over reliability, endurance and operational stress aboard America’s flagship carrier.
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