USS Gerald R. Ford departs Naval Station Norfolk, bound for Mediterranean Sea

Colin Warren-Hicks, The Virginian-Pilot on Jun 24, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

The USS Gerald R. Ford shoved away from its moorings at Naval Station Norfolk around 9 a.m. Tuesday. Tugboats slowly pushed the bow of the 1,092-foot aircraft carrier eastward, toward the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and its next missions across the Atlantic Ocean.

The flagship of the Navy’s Carrier Strike Group 12, the Ford will be met at sea by the four guided-missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron Two, destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill and other supporting craft.

At least four strike fighter squadrons, an electronic fighter squadron and multiple squadrons of offensive helicopters are aboard the carrier, which will first go to Europe to further bolster the U.S. forces gathering near the Middle East as the conflict between Israel and Iran continues.

This deployment has been planned since late last year, according to a CNN report, but the strike group will likely move to the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Standing next to the Ford immediately prior to its Tuesday departure, Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, the commander of Carrier Strike Group 12, did not directly respond to questions about where the strike group may head after reaching Europe.

“That’s our first stop,” Lanzilotta. “And what a naval mission package does is — as you know — we’re mobile and maneuverable; so, we can go where we’re tasked and then respond as necessary.”

The routine deployment is expected to last at least seven months but can always be extended based on situational military needs. Nearly 4,500 sailors departed with the strike group on Tuesday.

_____