USS Ford leaves Crete for Middle East amid Iran tensions
Greece
Thu, 26 Feb 2026 9:18 GMT
The biggest US warship, the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier, left a NATO naval base on Crete Thursday for the Middle East as American forces build up amid tensions with Iran.
The nuclear-powered Ford spent four days at the Souda Bay base resupplying, before setting off for the eastern Mediterranean. It is expected to reach Israel within 24 hours.
The Ford is set to join the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its escorts, which arrived in the Middle East last month.
Commissioned in 2017, the 334-meter-long Ford has a displacement of more than 100,000 tons and carries a crew of almost 4,600. According to America’s National Public Radio, the ship is also plagued by chronic toilet malfunctions.
The last time the US deployed two aircraft carriers to the Middle East was in June 2025, during the bombardment of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Kathimerini
