USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) arrived at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay in Crete on Monday for repairs following an onboard fire nearly two weeks ago, pulling the U.S. Navy’s most advanced carrier off station and leaving USS Abraham Lincoln as the only American aircraft carrier in the theater supporting Operation Epic Fury.
6th Fleet says: The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) arrived at Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, March 23, 2026, for maintenance and repairs after operating in the Red Sea. The aircraft carrier remains fully mission capable.
The port call allows for the ship to undergo efficient…
— Phil Stewart (@phildstewart) March 23, 2026
The U.S. 6th Fleet confirmed in a statement Monday that the port call allows the ship to “undergo efficient assessment, repairs, and resupply,” and that the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group “continues its overseas deployment.” The Navy said the carrier remains fully mission capable.
The fire broke out March 12 in the carrier’s aft laundry facility and took more than 30 hours to fully extinguish, the Navy said. Three sailors were injured. Two returned to duty the same day, while a third was flown off the ship for further treatment and was in stable condition as of March 17. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Navy officials said more than 600 sailors were displaced from their berthing spaces, with some sleeping on floors and tables. Officials confirmed roughly 100 beds were destroyed and nearly 200 sailors received treatment for smoke-related injuries.
Ford departed Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, on June 24, 2025, for a scheduled rotation before being rerouted to the Caribbean and then to the Red Sea in early February 2026.
Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jim Kilby told lawmakers this month that the deployment is expected to reach approximately 11 months, which would approach the longest carrier deployment since the Vietnam War era.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said the crew had been “pushed to the brink after nearly a year at sea.”
The carrier’s vacuum-based wastewater system has also required external contractor assistance 42 times since 2023, with 32 of those calls occurring in 2025 alone, according to NPR.
