Walter Finch
THE world’s largest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, passed through the Strait of Gibraltar on Saturday as it headed for a new deployment in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The 100,000-ton nuclear-powered behemoth was photographed from Ceuta as it passed the Rock accompanied by a formidable strike group that includes guided missile destroyers and support ships – among them the Spanish Navy’s own ESPS Canarias, an anti-submarine warfare frigate.
The Ford’s sighting drew attention on both sides of the Strait, with observers in Gibraltar and Ceuta capturing dramatic images of the warship silhouetted against the Rock, the new Hassans Centenary Terrace towers clearly visible to the right.
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It marks a rare example of a Spanish warship sailing alongside a US carrier strike group – a sign of continued cooperation between the NATO militaries at a time of diplomatic tensions between Spain and the US.
Just last month, retired US General Robert Greenway proposed closing American military bases in southern Spain as retaliation for Pedro Sanchez’s refusal to meet US demands that NATO countries spend 5% of GDP on defence.
“Time to move the Rota and Morón bases… to Morocco,” General Greenway suggested.
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Naval Station Rota, a stone’s throw from Cadiz, is home to the US Sixth Fleet, while Moron Air Base was used as a refuelling hub for recent strikes on Iran.
Built at a cost of $13 billion (around €12 billion), the Ford is the most powerful warship ever constructed.
Powered by two nuclear reactors and capable of launching aircraft using electromagnetic catapults, the ship can conduct up to 220 airstrikes a day and carries more than 75 aircraft across two expansive runways.
Also escorting the carrier are the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) and USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), along with the fast combat support ship USNS Supply (T-AOE-6), part of the US Navy’s logistical backbone.
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The Ford left its homeport in Norfolk, Virginia, in late June and is en route to the US European Command area of responsibility.
Rear Admiral Paul Lanzilotta, commander of Carrier Strike Group 12, said at departure: “We’re heading to the European theatre. That’s our first stop.”
The deployment follows the ship’s high-profile operations in 2023, during which it was stationed in the Mediterranean as the war in Ukraine dragged on and hostilities escalated between Israel and Hamas.
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At one point, both the Ford and the USS Dwight D Eisenhower were deployed simultaneously, forming the first dual carrier presence in the region in decades.
US Navy vessels supporting the Ford have previously intercepted ballistic missiles and drones launched from Yemen, highlighting the risk of regional spillover from conflicts in Gaza and beyond.
The Ford replaces the USS Harry S Truman, which was seen crossing the Strait back toward the United States after what is believed to have been the largest carrier-launched air operation in recent history.
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