The U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford will anchor near Portsmouth in mid-November.

The date of the visit, currently not publicly released, will also see some of the aircraft carriers escorts arrive in the naval base.

I’ll update this article when I am able to post the exact date as posting it now might not be the best idea from a security point of view.

The carrier itself is too large to enter HMNB Portsmouth and will instead stay outside at Spithead.

“This deployment is an opportunity to further advance the operational capabilities of the Ford and demonstrate the advantages that Ford and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 bring to the future of naval aviation, to the region and to our allies and partners,” said Rear Adm. Greg Huffman, commander of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 12.

“Now more than ever, it is increasingly important for the United States Navy to reinforce our relationships with our allies and partners as we contribute to promote a peaceful, stable, and conflict-free Atlantic region.”

While deployed, GRFCSG will operate with air, maritime and ground assets from several NATO allies and partner nations to strengthen deterrence and defense efforts and improve effectiveness and interoperability. Together, GRFCSG, allies, and partner nations will participate in training events, including long-range maritime strike, air defense, anti-subsurface warfare and distributed maritime operations.

According to the U.S. Navy, the units participating in the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group’s first deployment include:

“USS Normandy (CG 60), USS Ramage (DDG 61), USS McFaul (DDG 74), USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), USNS Joshua Humpreys (T-AO 188), USNS Robert E. Peary (T-AKE 5), and USCGC Hamilton (WMSL 753).”

Aircraft squadrons participating in the deployment are:

• Strike fighter squadrons VFA 213, VFA 31, VFA 37 and VFA 87.
• Tactical electronics warfare squadron VAQ 142.
• Carrier airborne early warning squadron VAW 124.
• Fleet logistics support squadron VRC 40.
• Helicopter maritime strike squadron HSM 70.
• Helicopter sea combat squadron HSC 9.

“It’s an exciting time to lead the aviators of Carrier Air Wing Eight as we embark on Ford’s first deployment,” said Capt. Daryl Trent, Commander, Carrier Air Wing Eight.

“This group of individuals have worked so hard to prepare every aspect of the air wing to integrate with Ford’s new technologies and have done so with excellence. It’s also fitting that when USS Nimitz deployed for the first time in 1976, it was CVW-8 who was embarked. Now, in 2022, CVW-8 is again the first air wing to embark on this newest class of aircraft carriers.”

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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59 COMMENTS

    • More air power on a QEC, for her 2021 deployment, than most countries have.

      Who has more than 24 gen 4.5 jets?

      USA
      France – maybe – their tech is not that amazing
      Germany – maybe if they can get enough flying
      Italy
      Spain

      Then I’m struggling

      Not Russia
      China is struggling with junk Russia engines and knock off engines.

      • More than half the air power on the Queen Elizabeth came from the United States…. And there was no airborne early warning to speak of. Just calm down.

        • Put your handbag down pal, that memory of coming home and seeing a Brit squaddie in your dressing gown, eating your blueberry waffles, at your breakfast table, has effected your judgement, just calm down!

        • Considering crowsnest is onboard and as everyone seems to forget when an F35 is in the air that also supplies very good early warning.

          Take the US and France out of the equation no one else can provide AEW carrier based at longer range, and thats assuming Frances equipment can outrange an F35 which is debateable.

      • Curious why you appear to rate the F-35 as 4.5th Gen?

        My understanding is that it’s currently the only true 5th Gen, although I heard about an F-22 upgrade that might change that.

  2. I remember seeing the USS Constellation at anchor off Singapore in 74. It seemed to take up the whole skyline. Would love to get down to Pompey and see such an impressive sight. If only we could do fleet reviews like we used to be able to do.

    • Know what you mean Cymbeline ,Stood on the flghtdeck of the Hermes June 77 for the Silver jubilee and the old Salts remarked that it was smaller than the previous Spithead Review, .Maybe Airfix could help with both Ship and Airwing next time

      • Yep, no good dreaming about old times, best we can hope for now is that the status quo is maintained and no further cuts in numbers.

        • I’m not so sure about defence cuts or should I say slieght of hand after reading DJUK the other day regarding future Frigates also being tasked too carry out MCM operations along with the River class boats it’s seems give with One hand take with the other

          • Yes, it’s some what if a lie we are getting 24 escorts with the type 32 as we gain frigates but loose minesweepers. That being said the concept of modern MCM is great but we need a cheap as chips commercial style OSV built in numbers to carry the MCM and Hyrdo graphic equipment as well as drones and other 2nd tier patrol tasks.

          • Thanks Jim when I was Drafted to MCM 3 we were made aware that a mine doesn’t realise that the War is over it just sits and waits Hunts and sweepers are a hell of alot cheaper than a state of the arts Frigate that’s all I was trying too put across But the mandarins of Whitehall evidently know more than the Lads on the front line

      • I was on HMS Arrow immensely proud
        We had come just come back from the Med together with New Zealand ship Canterbury and Australian ship Brisbane .
        Compared with previous fleet reviews it was small , unfortunately due to cuts it’s almost nonexistent

        • 👍 Phredd for a summers day it was bloody cold and miserable But at least Our Late Boss Liz was waving at me I’m sure her and Phil knew what hassle it was for us too off caps and hip hip hip hooray in that weather but boy did we stand there for what seemed eternity if they had a review now it would be over quicker than the Gosport Ferry to the Hard ,

    • Yup, but capability isn’t different by orders of magnitude.

      If you want lots of low end junk look at the Russian Navy. Look how well that has worked for them?

      • True. My thoughts were more along the lines of if our ambition is still to be global then we need more vessels, but I’m not a strategist so I’m probably completely wrong.

          • Who they ?
            While I agree with you , to isolate Russia
            I cannot see the Royal Navy doing that maybe Russia did it themselves to discredit ” the West”
            As bread brain Putin puts it

          • By that I meant whoever has responsibility for them. If they are in Danish or Swedish waters, or are they totally owned by Gazprom?

          • I’m just happy we are finally getting some credit for something in this war, I thought America was doing it all to watch CNN. The Russians clearly think we are having an impact or they would not make shit up about us. It’s really a complement by Orc standards. 😀

          • Cymbeline
            What I found very interesting was this video released by the Ukrainian navy from a marine drone taken from inside the harbour, where it sails right up to a ship. So it makes me wonder was the UAV fly by a distraction?

          • I think very possibly you are right, it would seem to make sense. Its strange how it works out sometimes this David and Goliath scenario where in this case all the might of the Russian Black Sea fleet is being kept at bay by something the Ukrainians have knocked something up in the shed at the bottom of someones garden.

    • I saw USS Reagan and the 7th fleet sale past Singapore two years ago, I was amazed how small she was. The ships sailing around her now, tankers and container ships were routinely 3 times her size now. Even some of the cruise ships were double.

      • Constellation was the first big ship that I had seen and I was only an 18 year old sprog at the time. I was probably overawed. Still a impressive sight though.

  4. It is really one of the less well discussed aspects of carriers Nuclear bs Conventional. Queen Elizabeth can dock in New York and host conferences and dinners while Nimitz has to sit offshore.

    Awesome ships but Queen Elizabeth class really is the more versatile flexible design.

    • Only you would measure the effectiveness of an aircraft carrier by how many cocktail parties she can host not how many sorties she can generate in a day.

      • Surely you want your flagship to do both. Also given the higher sortie rates available with STOVL I’m sure QE could beat Nimitz on sorties if both where loaded up to max. Sustainment a different story though.

      • A bit unfair on you, given that you run ‘dry ships’! What we really lack is a proven effective AEW capability to go with out carriers. Drones might well be the way forward for us, but that’s in the future, so we shall have to wait and see.

  7. Are there any plans to expand Portsmouth harbour or access into it so it can take a Ford type carrier this big? Would it actually be even possible? I’d imagine it would quite a draw card if the public could view it.

      • Just a few points in replying if I may, Visits by allied ships are good all round, for projecting presence, strength, alliance, deterence, and for the locals and local economy and and don’t need to be labelled as mere “tourism”. Secondly, the UK is definitely not a “junior partner. Thirdly, “all” the allies are doing a job, big and small, to keep tyranny and evil in check.

        • Q, you may have noted E has a rather big chip on its shoulder and gets the tissues out at every opportunity to remind us all how small, junior and insignificant we are.

          Just ignore.

          • Hi Daniele, I’ll do my best. Unbelievable comments. Hope all is well with you up in the UK. We have a couple of Korean navy ships visiting at the moment but I know I’d love to see one of the QE Carriers here in the harbour. It would spectacular and might even get the RAN wanting a carrier too. There is also plenty of room here…lol 😁

        • Let’s just hope that China keeps its N.Subs at home & not following any of our Allied Forces Navys’. China has many Nuclear Class Subs, Too many. But l do hope that our American Friends’ recognise our Lads Ships & Subs as we do not need Friendly Fire on our Boys’.

      • You really should have had a word with that Brit squaddie that banged your missus and ate your breakfast instead of getting all handbag on here!

    • That might require demolitioning the historic forts either side of the harbour entrance, which is unlikely & very undesirable.

    • To my knowledge a CATOBAR carrier (ford, nimitz Etc) cannot, while STOVL carriers (QEC Etc) can, but with very much reduced takeoff weight.

    • QE’s aren’t configured to use cats/traps. With Ford or Nimitz class I believe they can, but it’s considerably easier to launch if the wind is blowing in opposition to the direction the planes launch.

  11. Good morning in England,former U.S.Marine here that was part of the Marine detachment aboard the USS Carl Vinson,our mission was to tend to special weapons before a treaty with Russia ended that mission for Marines,subject to return as seen fit by the Commander in Chief.Now there’s some information that’s wrong,first Aircraft compliment,Nimitz class carriers can and have carried 90 plus aircraft,back when the fleet defence fighter F-14 we had two Squadrons of those on board as well as A7 attack aircraft A6 intruders,F-18 replaced a number of those,so yiu can see the numbers were up,now they hover around 75,but more capable,at some point like the last cruise of USS Carlvison a few months ago she included an F-35 squadron which pushed her compliment up to 87 aircraft (12 plane squadron VFA-147)so it not that our carriers can’t carry more,just have had the mix in the last few decades,now that’s changed as the F-35 becomes more plentiful throughout the fleet..have a great day

  12. Also,F-35 isn’t designed to be an early warning Aircraft,it’s designed to work in conjunction with the new E2D as a quarter back type aircraft if you will,feeding and receiving intel from the Hawkeye and sending it to other aircraft in the fleet,early warning is the sole domain of the E2D,now obviously if a pair of F-35’s are on patrol and detect a threat not only will they alert the fleet but will engage that threat..

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