The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford arrived at Naval Station Norfolk on May 16 following a 334-day deployment. The return marked the end of an extended mission that took the ship from the coast of Venezuela to the Red Sea.
Sailors lined the deck in dress whites as thousands of family members and friends gathered on the pier. Many had waited nearly a year, during which the crew supported operations in two conflicts and dealt with a fire in the laundry room and sewage system issues aboard the ship.
