NORFOLK, Va. — With loud music and smoke for dramatic effect, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro descended on an elevator into the hangar bay on the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier Monday.
The ship was returning to Norfolk after being deployed for about eight months.
Walking through a crowd of sailors, the secretary took to a stage set up in the hangar bay, helped present some awards to sailors
and then spoke to the crowd for about 10 minutes.
"I am here today to tell each and every one of you how proud not just I am of you, but how proud this entire country, every American in the United States of America, is of what you have done," said Del Toro.
For sailors, the visit was a welcome way to close out their deployment.
Most recently, the Ford was in the Mediterranean as part of the U.S. military's response to the fighting between Israel and Hamas.
Military
USS Gerald R. Ford to remain in Mediterranean near Israel, extending deployment
"I'm glad that I'm back home again, but hope everything works out for the best," said Aviation Electronics Technician Michael Ashgne.
"Now we're actually going home after being extended a couple times before," Master At Arms Aaron Ludwick said. "The reality is we're going home. It's a different ball game now. We're always working."
"It's good to be part of something bigger than yourself," said Command Climate Specialist Eric Snitzer. "That's pretty much everyday in the day, but it was, maybe, a little more tangible throughout those operations."
In an interview with reporters afterward, Del Toro offered his thoughts on the Ford's performance.
The long deployment was a first for this ship, which was commissioned in 2017.
"I think it went extraordinarily well," said Del Toro. "The amount of preparation that's actually gone into the building and the development of the ship. So many people across the United States, in our shipyards and in our Navy, should be filled with pride."
The ship's captain, Capt. Richard Burgess, said with deployment over, sailors will get some leave and begin preparing for wherever the ship may be called to next.
"We're going to be doing some pierside maintenance," Burgess explained. "It's going to need lengthy. So, that's going to give our sailors an opportunity to take regular leave down the road through the Sumner as we start working on some of the daily and preventative maintenance."
Important work for the world's largest aircraft carrier.
Homepage
Navy squadrons return home to NAS Oceana
Squadrons attached to the Ford started returning Jan. 14, including to Naval Station Norfolk and Naval Air Station Oceana.
The Ford itself was scheduled to return within the week.
