NORFOLK, Va. — The Norfolk-based USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier will depart on Tuesday to the U.S. Central Command's (CENTCOM) area of responsibility, CBS News reports.
The U.S. Navy said this departure is part of a regularly scheduled deployment. For reference, CENTCOM oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East and parts of Asia.
The USS Ross, a ship that is part of the Bush Carrier Strike Group, departed from Naval Station Norfolk on March 25. The Ross was the third ship in two days from the Bush Carrier Strike Group to deploy last week. The USS Mason and the USS Donald Cook both left from Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
Watch previous coverage: USS Ross deploys from Naval Station Norfolk
News 3 reporter Colter Anstaett covered the Ross' deployment where he got a chance to speak to the ship's captain, Cmdr. Pia Chapman. She would not say where the ship was going or how long the deployment would last.
“We won’t have a specific mission right now that I can disclose, but what I can tell you is we’re ready for whatever comes our way," Chapman said last week.
Watch previous coverage: Neighbors near Naval Station Norfolk react to US and Israeli strikes on Iran
This comes as the USS Gerald R. Ford could break a record for the longest carrier deployment post-Vietnam if it remains deployed through mid-April, according to USNI News. It initially left for deployment to the Caribbean on June 24, 2025. In February, President Donald Trump said he was sending the carrier strike group to the Middle East in a move to apply more pressure on Iran.
Retired Vice Adm. Herman Shelanski previously spoke to News 3 regarding the possibility of the Bush Carrier Strike Group relieving the Ford Carrier Strike Group.
"So it's possible, if this looks like it's going to be extended for more than a couple of weeks, and I know that George Bush is getting ready to deploy. And it would be the one probably to go out and replace the Ford to give them the relief that they need to come home," Shelanski said.
On March 12, a non-combat related fire broke out in the Ford's laundry room. Two sailors were treated for non-life-threatening injuries and over 600 were put out of a bed following the fire.
Watch previous coverage: USS Gerald R. Ford moves away from Iran war for repairs after fire, CNN reports
On March 18, CNN reported that a U.S. official said the Ford would be at Souda Bay in Crete “for a brief period to conduct repairs,” which would determine what can be fixed immediately and what may need to be fixed when the ship goes back to its home port after its deployment. The other ships within the Ford Carrier Strike Group are remaining where they are in the region and did not join the Ford at Souda Bay.
As of Monday, there has been no official confirmation on whether the Ford Carrier Strike Group will be relieved upon the Bush's arrival.
The Bush Carrier Strike Group last deployed in 2022.
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