Photos show daily operations aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford on its first full deployment in the Eastern Mediterranean

Elias ChavezJan 13, 2024, 15:35 IST

Aviation Boatswain's Mate stands as the enlisted landing signalman while an E-2D Hawkeye prepares to land on Gerald R. Ford's flight deck.Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob Mattingly/DVIDS

The USS Gerald R. Ford entered the East Mediterranean Sea this week.
The carrier and its strike force are part of US aid to Israel.

The US announced on October 8 that it would be sending its most advanced aircraft carrier — USS Gerald R. Ford — and its attached strike group toward Israel. The carrier has joined a cruiser and a handful of destroyers.

The decision to send the carrier strike group came after Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7 and killed 1,400 people. Israel responded with airstrikes that have killed more than 3,000 Palestinian people and injured nearly 14,000 in Gaza, according to Tuesday data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The presence of the USS Gerald R. Ford in waters near Israel, where it arrived last Tuesday, serves to "deter any actor seeking to escalate the situation or widen this war," according to a statement from US Central Command.

Here's a look onboard the USS Gerald R. Ford while it's stationed in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The USS Gerald R. Ford can carry F/A-18 Super Hornets as part of its air wing.

F/A-18 Super Hornets, prepare for flight operations on the flight deck of the world's largest aircraft carrier on October 14, 2023.Seaman Maxwell Orlosky/DVIDS

The F/A-18 Super Hornets are not the only fighters on the USS Gerald R. Ford.

An F/A-18 takes off from the USS Gerald R. Ford on October 13, 2023.Seaman Maxwell Orlosky/DVIDS

While USS Gerald R. Ford is in the Eastern Mediterranean, crews are conducting various exercises.

Sailors observe an F/A-18E Super Hornet landing on the flight deck in the Eastern Mediterranean on October 13, 2023.Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob Mattingly/DVIDS

These include hoisting exercises conducted by the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron using the MH-60S Sea Hawk.

An MH-60S Sea Hawk conducts hoisting exercises aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford on October 11, 2023.Seaman Maxwell Orlosky/DVIDS

Hoisting exercises help soldiers learn helicopter rescue procedures.

A helicopter hoists someone in the air while a soldier stands guard, on October 11, 2023Seaman Maxwell Orlosky/DVIDS

Sailors are also conducting simulated search and rescue exercises in the Mediterranean Sea.

Sailors perform a simulated search and rescue exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, on October 11, 2023Petty Officer 2nd Class Jackson Adkins

On other ships in the strike group, the crew is conducting their own training and operations.

Sailors aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner conduct strike scenarios on October 11, 2023Petty Officer 3rd Class Kerri Kline/DVIDS

On USS Carney, another destroyer, sailors have been running flight operations with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 9.

Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Owen Johnson, left, and Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Andrew Gonzalez guide an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter during flight operations, October 12, 2023.Petty Officer 2nd Class Aaron Lau/DVIDS

In addition to training exercises, personnel have been conducting maintenance and repairs to the carrier's various assets.

Senior Chief Aviation Structural Mechanic Matthew Haney closes the cover to a rotor assembly of an MH-60R Sea Hawk, October 10, 2023.Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob Mattingly/DVIDS

Maintenance can include checking the rotor assembly of a helicopter.

Sailors perform routine maintenance on a rotor assembly of an MH-60R Sea Hawk, on October 10, 2023.Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob Mattingly/DVIDS

Or cleaning the rotor blades to clear debris and ensure smooth operation.

Aviation Structural Mechanic Airman Shea Fortin washes down an MH-60S Sea Hawk, October 10, 2023.Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob Mattingly/DVIDS

Smaller everyday tasks, like fixing the dishwasher, are also essential in the strike group.

Chief Electrician's Mate Oneil Williams reaches inside the ship's dishwasher to fix a heating element, October 11, 2023.Petty Officer 2nd Class Malachi Lakey/DVIDS

Other daily tasks include identifying surface and air contacts from the deck.

Boatswain's Mate Seaman Apprentice Jason Guldseth uses a mounted binocular to identify surface and air contacts, October 10, 2023.Petty Officer 2nd Class Nolan Pennington/DVIDS

As well as the essential responsibilities of navigation.

Quartermaster Seaman Javoniah Foreman uses an alidade in the pilot house to identify a surface contact's range and bearing in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, October 10, 2023.Petty Officer 2nd Class Nolan Pennington/DVIDS

Photos show Israel's military mobilization along Gaza's border as deadline for Palestinians to evacuate expires

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