The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has departed the port of Split, Croatia, following a five-day visit between 28 March and 2 April, according to the US Navy.
The carrier, the largest warship in the world, remains deployed in the Mediterranean as part of Carrier Strike Group 12 and is available for full mission tasking in support of US national objectives, the US Navy said.
“The ship’s crew took time to enjoy some liberty in Croatia’s historic and hospitable city, as well as go on tours and events scheduled by the ship’s Morale, Welfare, and Recreation team. Additionally, the ship completed scheduled repairs and received supplies to sustain operations. The routine investigation into the ship’s laundry and berthing fire is ongoing.”
During the visit, Rear Admiral Paul Lanzilotta, commander of Carrier Strike Group 12, and other senior warfare commanders met with US Ambassador to Croatia Nicole McGraw. Discussions focused on the strike group’s ongoing deployment and its operational readiness while forward deployed in the region.
Alongside official engagements, the visit provided an opportunity for crew members to go ashore in Split, with organised tours and activities coordinated by the ship’s Morale, Welfare, and Recreation team. The port period also allowed the ship to conduct routine maintenance and take on supplies required to sustain ongoing operations. An investigation into a previously reported fire in a laundry and berthing area remains ongoing.
USS Gerald R. Ford deployed from Naval Station Norfolk on 24 June 2025 and has since operated across a wide geographic area, including the Arctic Circle, Mediterranean, Caribbean and Red Sea. The strike group has been involved in a range of joint and combined operations during that deployment.
Carrier Strike Group 12 includes the carrier as its flagship, alongside Carrier Air Wing 8, Destroyer Squadron Two and the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill. The group is currently assigned to the US 6th Fleet area of operations.
According to the US Navy, the deployment supports a range of objectives including deterrence, support to allies and partners, and maintaining freedom of navigation and economic security in key maritime regions.
It’s absolutely mental what the US navy put these sailors through, 10 months at sea on active deployment, crossing the Atlantic multiple times to participate in war after war.
It’s no wonder crew members sabotaged the ship, flushing ropes down the toilets and then ultimately a major fire which is being investigated for a possible deliberate start.
Politicians need to realise the military is not their play thing to be used to distract from political problems at home.
The job of the military is to fight wars. Guys in WW2, Korea, and Vietnam were away far longer. This isn’t a game. 11 bombs worth of Uranium admitted to by the Iranians themselves is no joke and no political distraction. Missiles that they lied and said couldn’t reach Europe are also no joke. If these guys can’t handle that, they should maybe get a discharge. But you keep on with your rumors of ropes in toilets.
Irans had zero weapons grade uranium, your own president said that last year, your own intelligence chief confirmed it.
You only need 3-5% enrichment for civilian purposes. Anything above that has only one use, a nuclear weapon. Iran has enough for 6 bombs and white the 60% enrichment grade currently achieved doesn’t quite get them all the way to weapons grade they are literally just one enrichment process away.
Iran is also much farther ahead on ICBM missiles than they were willing to admit, and they are only made for one reason as well.
Trump was right, again!
Andrew its likely we all here agree with you that Iran has enriched uranium for the wrong purpose but has trump actually got to the uranium deep in some mountain? what trump has done is trigger into practice the iran toll booth, all oil / gas passing the straight is on their say so now, and this is more effective than having nukes.
Quite right, and a job that needed sorting, mate. As you say 11 bombs worth admitted and for one purpose only, to bomb western, democratic, non-islamic countries – the UK included. Sad our country stood back.
Sure Vlad.
Good luck finding them now in a country as big as Iran
Probably, CIA has paid the spies to have a vg idea of where the U are stored. But, get it out will not be easy due to radiation. Maybe, destroy the storage.
RC135 Constant Phoenix was in the air package forward deployed to Europe so there’s a good chance that sensor intelligence has corroborated any human or satellite intelligence on the whereabouts of nuclear fission materials.
Despite Bibi saying Iran is two weeks away from Nukes for the last 20 years, the previous Ayatollah was smart enough to know that 60% materials gave him all the leverage he needed without taking the risk of progress to actual nuclear weapons. Just having credible potential was enough to get the required leverage without the actual risk and cost. That’s why negotiation was happening until the Tangerine Toddler lost the geopolitical plot.
So Steve Witkoff another known puppet and lier of your clownshow advised that Iran had said this in talks….of which Iran has denied ever having.
Right now given your current administration lie all the time I am more inclined to believe Iran. Its funny as the country destabilising most lf the planet currently is the US. Thankfully this goon show ends come midterms.
Hamish, news reports are that US fires off 2 or more expensive missiles to destroy each cheap drones and Iran missiles. Are they deliberately misusing their inventory of tomahawks and anti drone missiles? Or the costs of the new high tech battles. No wonder Pete wanted to invest millions in Defense stocks. Something like using a shotgun on pesky mosquito. And no one worries, there will be a 1.5 trillion budget, paid by reducing Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, of course.
What an absolutely mental comment. So the military is just a glorified welfare service to you then? They have no job to do at all. It’s a microaggression to ask them to work huh?
Iran was attacked by two specific countries, and their reply was to bomb everyone around them indiscriminately. If you have a hard time understanding why that doesn’t get to go forward with us on this Earth, I don’t think you should be allowed to vote. 👍
Op EPSTEIN Fury is such great taxpayer value that about 15% surveyed gave approval or less than half of the 35% maga base supporters. Cost estimates vary depending on the bases, infrastructure and air assets values but about $200 Billion seems plausible even without the damage done to Gulf States and former Allies in Europe and AsiaPac.
Political mistakes may well be the most expensive as telling the ruler of a Gulf State to kiss your ass is not an established diplomatic protocol. Hard to see that being warmly received or leading to further foreign military sales.
Only VVP and chairman xi are enjoying this war of choice.
I see another ‘loss in confidence’ in the captains future
Sky has just reported that Hegseth has sacked, sorry asked the US army’s chief of staff to retire effectively immediately.
Wonder was that over the attempted investigation into the Kid Rock flyby, or something else? Either way, perfect timing in the middle of a war, guess he’s going to keep firing people until he just has “Yes Men”
Fired because Army is foot-dragging over reforms. Chief of Staff of Army has no control over war. Central Command does. This guy is a paper-pusher, not a war-leader.
Foot dragging, you mean he didn’t agree with the weekend news host from fox’s bible study classes?
😂
Jim, the only army chaplain to be fired is W Green, who conveniently is a black American grad of Candler School of Theology
Doesn’t need to be a ‘war’ leader if centcom is running the show does he?A pen pusher probably has more experience of reforming a system over a gung-ho let’s kill them bloke!
What about everyone else fired at the same time then? All dragging their feet over reforms? Not what your media are reporting is it?
or have they disagreed with something in the background. Its is very odd that this number of senior officers have been fired. Maybe Hegseth just feels inadequate around them
Remind you of certain other armies who purge their officer corps for not toeing the regime line?
Indeed, and look how that turned out
A lot of western defence websites and news reports make a good deal about the number of high ranking officers in the PLA who have been dismissed in recent years, and rightly so because it is significant and indicative of wider issues. But it feels that the same questions aren’t being asked of the US with this high turnover, because of the expected bravado-filled pushback from the administration. And that feels like a fair amount of self-censorship taking place. But then I don’t like the way that you have this political selection of senior leaders across govt depts, judges, etc. Personally I’m troubled by the idea that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs was a retired lowly major general who also happened to be an adviser to the President’s son-in-law’s venture capital investment firm
Probably can’t quote the bible word for word.
Everyone knows that is the latin alphabet, Jehovah is spelt with an “i”…
Crew takes orders from maga and christian right wing?
Soon the Ford will be going round in circles in the middle of the Med because no one would dare steer a course other than hard to starboard…
If crew responsible for sabotage that is a shocking indictment on the quality of US recruitment and training.
No, it shows that US Navy sailors are free men who will only take so much militarist bullshit. In the Army it’s called fragging..
According to a reputable source, “ By the age of 40, the average American has 5 pounds of undigested red meat in his gut”. With a crew numbering in the 1000s, no wonder their bogs are having problems!
If the Israelis really thought the Iranians were days from getting a nuclear weapon, it and the Iranian government/capital would cease to exist and there is nothing Agent Orange or anyone else could do to stop them. Meanwhile everything is obliterated in the mollusc mind of Emperor Trump and no end is in sight. So one carrier might be going home but no doubt it will be replaced as this obliteration campaign continues until Trump gets the “Hormuz Straight” opened when he will rename Trump Straight.
What UKDJ report on is up to UKDJ, no problem there, but this thread is just a row about the US/Trump/Iran, often with new posters/drive by shooting types.
So I see nothing of value discussed regards UK Defence, for me or untold numbers of readers?
It’s a pity that the articles are not only about UK defence matters.
A US Carrier might well influence UK defence but surely this is stretching it!
Just an observation, not a critique of UKDJ.