USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) returned to Naval Station Norfolk Saturday, May 16, following a historic and successful 11-month deployment to the U.S. 4th, 5th and 6th fleets.

Before returning to Norfolk after 326 days, Ford’s crew conducted 23 replenishments-at-sea and sailed over 57,713 nautical miles. Embarked Carrier Air Wing 8 logged more than 5,760 flight hours and 12,200 flight launches.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth greeted Ford upon its return home.

At the homecoming, Hegseth presented Carrier Strike Group 12 with the Presidential Unit Citation (PUC). The PUC is the highest honor a military unit can receive, awarded for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy.

Built by Newport News shipbuilders, CVN 78 was delivered to the Navy in 2017.