WASHINGTON: The USS Gerald R. Ford has departed Croatia after a five-day port visit, the US Navy said Thursday without specifying where the world&#39;s largest aircraft carrier is headed next.&nbsp;The carrier &quot;remains poised for full mission tasking in support of national objectives in any area of operation,&quot; according to the Navy, which said the ship &quot;completed scheduled repairs and received supplies to sustain operations.&quot;&nbsp;The carrier played a major role in the US-Israeli air campaign against Iran but sailed to Crete and then Croatia after a laundry fire broke out on March 12.&nbsp;The blaze injured two sailors and caused major damage to some 100 beds, according to the US military. The Navy said Thursday that the &quot;routine investigation into the ship&#39;s laundry and berthing fire is ongoing.&quot;&nbsp;The Ford&#39;s exit from Iran operations left a gap in US forces in the region, taking the number of carriers deployed there from two to one.&nbsp;But the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier and its accompanying warships left port for what the military described as a &quot;regularly scheduled deployment&quot; on Tuesday, and it is reportedly bound for the Middle East.&nbsp;The Ford has been at sea for more than nine months -- a deployment that has already seen it take part in US operations in the Caribbean, where Washington&#39;s forces have carried out strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats, interdicted sanctioned tankers and seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

Americas

The USS Gerald R. Ford left Croatia after repairs following a fire, remains mission-ready, and its destination is undisclosed. It supported operations against Iran, while another US carrier deploys to maintain regional military presence.

USS Gerald R. Ford carrier departs Croatia

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The USS Gerald R. Ford, the US Navy&rsquo;s newest and most expensive <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-aircraft-carrier-enters-mediterranean-as-trump-mulls-iran-strikes" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">aircraft carrier</a>, has pulled out of the Middle East and arrived at Souda Bay in Crete, Greece for repairs and resupply.&nbsp;The US Navy said on Monday that the carrier had arrived in Greece for &ldquo;maintenance and repairs&rdquo; after operating in the Red Sea and stressed that it remained &ldquo;fully mission capable.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;The immediate trigger for the move was on last week when fire that broke out in the ship&rsquo;s main laundry spaces.&nbsp;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&rsquo;s propulsion plant, adding that the carrier remained fully operational.&nbsp;However, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that the Ford&rsquo;s problems &ldquo;run a lot deeper&rdquo; than the laundry-room fire, citing a Pentagon assessment that pointed to broader concerns surrounding the warship.&nbsp;Those included questions about key systems and the vessel&rsquo;s ability to sustain prolonged combat operations.&nbsp;Reports have pointed to mounting strain on both the ship and its crew during an unusually long deployment.&nbsp;The Wall Street Journal reported that the carrier&rsquo;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.&nbsp;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&rsquo;s stop in Crete is for assessment, repairs and resupply rather than a full end to its deployment.&nbsp;Taken together, the development suggests that while the Navy is publicly projecting confidence, the Ford&rsquo;s move to Greece has become a focal point for wider concerns over reliability, endurance and operational stress aboard America&rsquo;s flagship carrier.

The world's largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford arrives at Souda Bay naval base after having been part of Middle East war operations, on the island of Crete on March 23, 2026. (Photo: AFP)

Middle East

USS Gerald R. Ford left the Middle East for repairs in Greece after a fire, but reports say deeper technical, sanitation and readiness concerns also contributed, raising questions about prolonged combat deployment.

Articles tagged with "USS Gerald R. Ford"

USS Gerald R. Ford carrier departs Croatia

US aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford pulled from Middle East amid mounting problems