The Nimitz Just Retired, the Kennedy Is Two Years Late, and Now the Ford Needs the Yard — America’s Aircraft Carrier Math Is Down to a Handful
The longest U.S. Navy aircraft carrier deployment since Vietnam left marks — and the yards she enters finish carrier work 113 days late on average.
ByHarry J. Kazianis Published1 day ago
ATLANTIC OCEAN (Oct. 29, 2019) USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) conducts high-speed turns in the Atlantic Ocean. Ford is at sea conducting sea trials following the in port portion of its 15 month post-shakedown availability. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Connor Loessin)ATLANTIC OCEAN (Oct. 29, 2019) USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) conducts high-speed turns in the Atlantic Ocean. Ford is at sea conducting sea trials following the in port portion of its 15 month post-shakedown availability. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Connor Loessin)
Summary and Key Points: The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is home at Naval Station Norfolk after 326 days at sea, the longest American carrier deployment since Vietnam, and now enters an extended repair and maintenance period covering fire damage, chronic plumbing failures, and recalibration of its EMALS electromagnetic catapults and Advanced Arresting Gear. The overhaul begins just as the USS Nimitz retires and the USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) slips to a March 2027 delivery, shrinking the pool of deployable decks. With the Navy’s three carrier-capable shipyards at Norfolk, Puget Sound, and Newport News finishing carrier work an average of 113 days late, according to the GAO, a repair period of a year or more is entirely plausible.
The USS Gerald R. Ford Is Headed for a Long Repair Period, and the U.S. Navy Doesn’t Have the Carriers to Cover for Her
After the longest US carrier deployment since the Vietnam War, the USS Gerald R. Ford is finally home, facing months of repairs for fire damage, chronic plumbing failures, and heavy wear on its first-in-class systems.
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/07/the-nimitz-just-retired-the-kennedy-is-two-years-late-and-now-the-ford-needs-the-yard-americas-aircraft-carrier-math-is-down-to-a-handful/
