NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. — After nearly 11 months at sea, the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group appears to be nearing the end of a deployment that has kept thousands of Hampton Roads military families waiting for months.
Signs of the strike group’s return began showing up Monday, as several fighter and support squadrons assigned to the Ford arrived back in Hampton Roads ahead of the aircraft carrier itself.
According to Naval Air Force Atlantic, six squadrons assigned to Carrier Air Wing Eight returned home following the deployment. The Blacklions of VFA-213, Ragin’ Bulls of VFA-37, Golden Warriors of VFA-87 and Tomcatters of VFA-31 landed at Naval Air Station Oceana, while Airborne Command and Control Squadron 124 and Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 40 returned to Naval Station Norfolk.
The Navy also announced on social media that the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is now heading home, adding that ships assigned to Destroyer Squadron Two are expected back “in the coming days.”
The USS Gerald R. Ford left Naval Station Norfolk on June 24, 2025. What started as a deployment focused on operations in the Caribbean eventually expanded into missions stretching across Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
The carrier — which has a crew of more than 4,500 sailors and personnel — spent months operating across multiple fleet areas during the nearly yearlong deployment.
During the early months of the mission, aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing Eight supported U.S. operations connected to Venezuela as the U.S. increased military pressure in the region.
By February 2026, the Ford Carrier Strike Group had shifted toward the Middle East amid growing tensions involving Iran. On Feb. 20, the carrier transited through the Strait of Gibraltar before continuing east.
Less than three weeks later, on March 6, aircraft launched from the Ford in support of Operation Epic Fury while operating in the Red Sea.
According to the Navy, Carrier Air Wing Eight logged more than 5,500 flight hours during the operation and completed more than 11,800 aircraft launches throughout the deployment.
But the mission was not without setbacks.
On March 12, a fire broke out in a laundry facility aboard the aircraft carrier while it was operating in the Red Sea. The fire injured two sailors and forced hundreds of crew members from their berthing spaces while damage control teams worked to contain the incident.
The carrier later traveled to Souda Bay, Crete, for repair work before returning to operations.
The deployment has also taken a toll on military families back home.
“They extended it 30 days… then another 30 days… and then it was like two and a half months,” said Lisa M., whose spouse is assigned to the strike group. “And I was like — you know what — I’ll see you when you get back.”
Lisa said the repeated extensions made it difficult for families trying to plan around milestones and special occasions.
“So it’s been almost a year… it’s felt like about seven years,” she said. “We’ve missed every holiday, every anniversary… everything.”
Now, after more than 320 days deployed, many Hampton Roads families are preparing for what they hope will soon be a long-awaited homecoming.
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