CVN · Aircraft Carrier (Nuclear Powered)
| IMO: | 4676405 |
| MMSI: | 338803000 |
| Flight Deck: | 78 |
| Call Sign: | NGRF |
| Shipyard: | Newport News Shipbuilding |
Timeline
| Date | |
|---|---|
| Sep 10, 2008 | from Huntington Ingalls (Newport News) |
| Nov 13, 2009 | Newport News Shipbuilding at Newport News, Va. Keel laying |
| Apr 8, 2017 | |
| Jul 22, 2017 | NS Norfolk at Norfolk Naval Station |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Seahawks Completed First VERTREP on CVN-78 |
| Sep 7, 2020 | Ford Seahawks Landing In-Port |
| Oct 4, 2022 | NS Norfolk departed NS Norfolk for maiden deployment. leading CSG-12 with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 embarked, for North Atlantic. |
| Nov 14, 2022 |  Stokes Bay called in at Portsmouth on maiden deployment. HSC-9, HSM-70 and other members of CVW-8 embarked. |
| Nov 26, 2022 | NS Norfolk returned from maiden deployment. |
| Jun 26, 2023 |  Split |
| Jul 31, 2023 | flagship of CSG-12, with CVW-8 embarked. Hosted 1st British aircraft to land on, HMS Duncan Flight WIldcat HMA2, while in the Mediterannean Sea. |
| Aug 1, 2023 | Wildcat is First Royal Navy Helicopter to Land on USS Gerald R Ford |
| Oct 10, 2023 | diverted with CSG-12 and air wing, from planned visit to Marseilles to Eastern Mediterranean as contingency for Palestinian-Israeli crisis. |
| Aug 17, 2025 |  Strait of Dover E transited the Strait of Dover from English Channel to North Sea with escorts USS Bainbridge, USS Winston S. Churchill and USS Mahan. |
| Feb 13, 2026 | ordered from Caribbean to Middle East toward the end of its original deployment, with CVW-8 embarked, including MH-60 helicopters of HSC-9 and HSM-70. |
| Feb 17, 2026 | Gibraltar Strait passed Strait of Gibraltar, leading CSG-12 with escorts USS Winston S Churchill, USS Mahan and USS Bainbridge. |
| Feb 28, 2026 | Eastern Mediterranean positioned in Eastern Mediterranean Sea with CVW-8 (including HSC-9 and HSM-70) embarked, in support of Epic Fury strikes on Iran Operation Epic Fury Operation Epic Fury |
| Mar 23, 2026 |  Souda Bay NB entered Souda Bay after withdrawing from Red Sea following accidental fire damage during Operation Epic Fury. |
| Apr 17, 2026 | Red Sea returned to Red Sea in support of Epic Fury strikes on Iran and Houthi Rebels around Yemen. Operation Epic Fury Operation Epic Fury |