The American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford departed the Mediterranean today, according to the MarineTraffic website, in a move that reduces U.S. military capabilities in the Middle East, where a fragile ceasefire has replaced hostilities.
Amateur photos on social media show the world’s largest aircraft carrier crossing the Strait of Gibraltar westward, carrying dozens of aircraft on its deck.
The USS Gerald R. Ford has been at sea for ten months—the longest deployment of a U.S. aircraft carrier since the end of the Cold War—according to the American Naval Institute.
According to reports by The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, the USS Gerald R. Ford will return to its base in Norfolk, Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. Around twenty American warships, including the aircraft carriers USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush, remain in the region, according to a U.S. official.
Before arriving in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, the USS Gerald R. Ford had been in the Caribbean, where it participated in U.S. operations targeting vessels suspected of involvement in drug trafficking, intercepting tankers under sanctions, and taking part in operations related to Nicolás Maduro.
The aircraft carrier headed to the Middle East in mid-February. At the end of March, it sailed to Croatia for repairs and maintenance following a fire. The USS Gerald R. Ford has also faced issues with its medical facilities, according to reports in the U.S. press.
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