US aircraft carrier anchors in Faliro Bay
America’s youngest and biggest aircraft carrier has made an imposing sight after dropping anchor in Athens’ Faliro Bay near the Port of Piraeus, en route to Souda Bay on Crete from the Adriatic and Ionian seas, on Thursday.
The nuclear-powered USS Gerald R. Ford is on its first voyage to Greece and the Mediterranean more generally, after replacing the USS George H.W. Bush, which spent a year in the region providing support to NATO as part of its response to the war in Ukraine.
Piraeus is the aircraft carrier’s third stop while deployed to the US Naval Forces Europe (NAVEUR) area of operations and “provides an opportunity to enhance the strong partnership between the US and Greece,” a statement by the Hellenic Navy said. Prior to arriving at Piraeus, embarked staff from Carrier Strike Group 12 conducted a series of exercises with the Hellenic Navy.
With a length of 333 meters, a height of 76 meters, a flight deck of 78 meters and a total of 25 decks, the USS Gerald R. Ford is the largest warship ever constructed and the biggest in the world.
