USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier returns home after 326-day deployment

Peter Suciu covers trends in the world of aerospace and defense.

The 100,000-ton USS Ford, with about with about 4,500 sailors who had been on it since June last, docked at Naval Station Norfolk along with two accompanying destroyers on Saturday, AP reported.

The USS Gerald R Ford, the United States Navy's most advanced aircraft carrier and the largest warship in the world, docked at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday, completing an 11-month deployment that stands as the longest operational carrier deployment since the Vietnam War.

Besides combat operations and traversing continents, the sailors aboard the carrier faced a noncombat-related fire that left hundreds without places to sleep and forced lengthy repairs on the Greek island of Crete.