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USS Gerald R. Ford arrives in Greece after fire reduces US Navy strike capacity against Iran.
The USS Gerald R. Ford of the United States Navy arrived at Souda Bay, Greece, on March 23, 2026, following a non-combat onboard fire that forced its withdrawal from ongoing strike operations against Iran under Operation Epic Fury.
The redeployment temporarily reduces U.S. carrier-based airpower in the region, directly impacting operational redundancy and sustained air strike capability. The carrier entered the NATO Marathi Pier Complex after more than 270 days at sea, operating alongside USS Abraham Lincoln in dual-carrier strike operations, and its removal from frontline operations lowers readiness and strike tempo in an active theater.
The USS Gerald R. Ford is the lead unit of its class and operates as the command ship of its carrier strike group, carrying an air wing of more than 75 aircraft and a total complement exceeding 4,500 personnel. (Picture source: US Navy)
On March 23, 2026, the US Navy confirmed that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford entered the NATO Marathi Pier Complex in Souda Bay in Crete, the largest Greek island, after departing the Red Sea, where it had been conducting sustained air operations against Iran as part of Operation Epic Fury. The movement followed a non-combat fire on March 12 and occurred after more than 270 days at sea, placing the deployment among the longest in recent U.S naval operations. At the time of arrival, the carrier had been operating alongside USS Abraham Lincoln, providing a dual-carrier presence for strike operations in the region. Its withdrawal reduces the number of active carriers in the theater to one, directly affecting sortie generation capacity and operational redundancy.
The Ford had supported a campaign involving more than 7,000 strikes since February 28, requiring continuous flight operations and high sortie rates. The port call reflects both immediate repair requirements and cumulative strain from extended deployment cycles without scheduled maintenance. However, the ship remains assigned to its carrier strike group, which continues its deployment despite the temporary removal of its flagship. The USS Gerald R. Ford arrived at Naval Support Activity Souda Bay after transiting north through the Suez Canal with elements of its strike group, including destroyers USS Bainbridge, USS Mahan, and USS Winston S. Churchill, along with a replenishment ship. The port call is expected to last more than one week and includes inspection, repair, and resupply activities required after the onboard fire.
The U.S. Navy indicated that propulsion, power generation, and combat systems were not affected, allowing the ship to remain operational during and after the incident. Flight operations continued in the Red Sea in the days following the fire, indicating that sortie generation capability was maintained despite internal damage. The decision to proceed to port was therefore not deemed as an emergency withdrawal but as a controlled repositioning to address damage and restore full habitability conditions. Nonetheless, the pause in frontline operations removes one carrier air wing from immediate availability in the region, reducing the number of aircraft available for strike and support missions during the repair period.
The fire on board the USS Gerald R. Ford began in the aft laundry facility, specifically within a dryer vent system, and spread through adjacent compartments via internal airflow systems. Damage control efforts involved hundreds of sailors and extended over many hours, with additional time required to manage smoke and water damage across multiple sections of the ship. More than 200 personnel were treated for smoke inhalation, one sailor was evacuated for medical care, and at least two others sustained injuries during firefighting operations. The fire affected berthing compartments, resulting in the loss of more than 100 racks and the displacement of several hundred sailors from their assigned sleeping areas.
Estimates indicate that up to 600 crew members were forced to sleep on floors and temporary surfaces following the incident. To compensate, approximately 1,000 mattresses were transferred from the USS John F. Kennedy, which is still under construction. Laundry services onboard were largely disabled, requiring the distribution of additional clothing to the crew. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, with a focus on mechanical and ventilation system factors. The USS Gerald R. Ford is the lead unit of its class and operates as the command ship of its carrier strike group, carrying an air wing of more than 75 aircraft and a total complement exceeding 4,500 personnel. The ship displaces about 100,000 tons and is powered by two nuclear reactors, enabling extended operations without refueling.
Its onboard systems include advanced radar arrays such as the AN/SPY-3 and AN/SPY-4, and electromagnetic aircraft launch systems designed to increase sortie generation rates compared to previous carrier classes. During operations in the Middle East, the carrier conducted continuous flight cycles, supporting strike, surveillance, and electronic warfare missions. The embarked air wing includes F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers, which have been used in strike operations against Iranian targets. The ship’s operational role has been to provide sustained sea-based airpower, allowing for continuous operations even when land basing may be limited or politically constrained.
The Ford carrier’s construction cost exceeds $13 billion, with additional research and development expenditures, making it the most expensive warship in the U.S Navy inventory. It operates within a strike group that includes cruisers and destroyers equipped with missile defense, surface warfare, and anti-submarine capabilities. During the current conflict, the presence of both USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln enabled overlapping air operations and continuous strike coverage. The removal of the Ford reduces this capability to a single carrier, limiting the ability to sustain high sortie rates over extended periods. Carrier-based aviation provides flexibility in targeting and rapid response, which is critical in current operations against Iran.
The reduction in available carrier aircraft could therefore affect both the scale and persistence of strike operations. This shift may also require redistributing mission loads among the remaining assets, including land-based aircraft and allied contributions. The deployment of the Ford began on June 24, 2025, when the carrier departed Norfolk for a scheduled North Atlantic mission, but was redirected multiple times. In October 2025, it was redeployed to the Caribbean to support operations targeting Venezuela, including interdiction missions and actions leading to the removal of Nicolás Maduro. After completing those tasks, the carrier was redeployed again to the Middle East in early February 2026 as tensions with Iran escalated.
It entered the operational area shortly after the start of Operation Epic Fury and began conducting sustained flight operations without a full maintenance period between missions. By March 2026, the carrier had been deployed for nearly ten months, exceeding the standard six-month deployment cycle. Projections indicated a possible extension into May, which would approach or surpass 294 days, the longest post-Vietnam carrier deployment. Operational tempo during this deployment has remained consistently high, with continuous flight operations, round-the-clock sorties, and minimal downtime between theaters. The carrier conducted missions in the North Atlantic, Caribbean, and Middle East without a prolonged maintenance interval, increasing cumulative wear on onboard systems.
Continuous sortie generation requires sustained use of launch systems, arresting gear, and aircraft maintenance facilities, all of which experience accelerated wear under such conditions. The fire occurred within this context of sustained operational demand, where maintenance cycles were already compressed. The crew has operated under extended deployment conditions, including limited port access and high operational intensity. Communication restrictions during combat operations further reduced external contact for personnel. These conditions contribute to cumulative fatigue and reduced recovery periods for both crew and systems, but the Gerald R. Ford’s ability to continue operations after the fire demonstrated their resilience.
Extended deployment has also highlighted recurring technical issues, particularly within the ship’s plumbing system, which includes approximately 650 toilets connected to a vacuum-based waste management network. The system has experienced repeated failures, with more than 40 maintenance calls recorded since 2023, including a majority during 2025. Reports indicate that hundreds of individual breakdown incidents have occurred, with some periods experiencing over 200 failures within a few days. Repairs typically require between 30 minutes and two hours, creating ongoing maintenance demands for engineering crews. A planned refit period at Newport News in early 2026 was delayed due to operational commitments, preventing comprehensive system upgrades.
Continuous deployment has therefore resulted in deferred maintenance and increased system degradation. These technical issues have compounded the impact of the fire and contributed to the overall strain on the ship’s infrastructure. The removal of USS Gerald R. Ford from the operational area creates a reduction in available carrier-based airpower in the Middle East during an active conflict. Carrier air wings provide sustained sortie generation that cannot be fully replicated by land-based aircraft, particularly for rapid response missions and flexible targeting. USS George H. W. Bush is expected to deploy as a replacement, but transit from the Atlantic and integration into the theater require several weeks. During this period, the reduced carrier presence limits continuous air coverage and affects operational planning.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.