USS Gerald R. Ford Returns to Virginia After 11-Month Deployment; Carrier That Opened Operation Epic Fury Completes War Rotation — Day 79

The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) aircraft carrier returned to its home port of Norfolk, Virginia on approximately May 17, 2026 (Day 79), completing an 11-month deployment that spanned the opening of Operation Epic Fury on February 28. The Ford CSG launched the initial cruise missile strikes against Tehran and Bandar Abbas on Day 1 of the conflict — the first carrier strikes on Iran in US history — and operated from the Eastern Mediterranean throughout the early and middle phases of the campaign alongside the Abraham Lincoln CSG in the Arabian Sea. During its deployment, the Ford CSG conducted strikes against Iranian military infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and IRGC positions. The Ford's return marks a significant symbolic milestone: the carrier group that opened the war has completed its rotation. The Abraham Lincoln CSG reportedly remains deployed in the region. CENTCOM has not formally announced any reduction in US naval presence, and the remaining assets continue to enforce the Hormuz transit arrangements. The Ford's low-profile homecoming — overshadowed on Day 79 by Iran's Hormuz toll plan and the Barakah drone strike — reflects the US military's management of domestic news cycles around naval rotation while keeping the broader theater posture visible.