USS George H.W. Bush Departs for Deployment, USS Gerald Ford Could Be Extended to 11 Months

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Sam LaGrone
March 31, 2026 

NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. — The sun peeked over the horizon tinting the haze gray hull of carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) orange while sailors on Pier 14 busied themselves preparing for the carrier to shove off across the Atlantic.

The mood of families at the pier Tuesday was subdued without the pomp and cheer of last summer’s deployment of USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) – the last carrier to leave the East Coast. With the early morning departure and a brisk wind, most families had said goodbye to their sailors the night before to meet the rolling curfew that had the crew aboard by 10 p.m. Monday.

For the last 25 days, ship’s company of Bush and Naval Sea Systems Command rushed to make the last repairs in the month after certifying to deploy while the crew spent time with their families ahead of Tuesday’s morning departure. East Coast carrier deployments for the last several years have been prone to extensions beyond the standard six months with families preparing for sailors to be gone for eight months or more.

Deputy Fleet Forces commander Vice Adm. John Gumbleton gave the sailors a pep talk over the carrier’s intercom, the sound carrying down to the families on the pier.

“Believe in your shipmates. Believe in the officers and chiefs that will lead you,” he said over the 1MC. “We’re aware the uncertainty of these deployment dates has caused anxiety and frustration. Our goal was to preserve as much time to make the ship ready, and for you to have time with your loved ones… In the months ahead, be honest with yourself and look out for one another.”

USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) commander Capt. Bob Bibeau speaks to reporters with CSG 10 commander Rear Adm. Alexis Walker on the background on March 31, 2026. USNI News photo

Just before 9 a.m., Bush sailors marched to the edge of the flight deck of the carrier gripping their covers tight to keep them from blowing off their heads in the 30-mile-per-hour gusts as they manned the rails. At least two “Dixie Cups” were lost to the wind by the time the sailors were in place.

Speaking to reporters at the pier, Carrier Strike Group 10 commander Rear Adm. Alexis Walker gave no hints to reporters on the pier ahead of Bush’s departure on where the strike group was headed.

“There is a published length of deployment, but who knows how long it’s going to take, and when our job is done around the world, then we’ll come home,” he said responding to reports that Bush was joining naval forces amassed in the Middle East in support of the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran.

Bush’s commander Capt. Robert Bibeau said, “I use the firefighter analogy. If you call the fire station and ask the firefighters where the fire is going to be tomorrow, they don’t know. But they do know that they’re ready, they want to be there, and they’re going to solve the problem.”

Carrier Air Wing 7 will be embarked on the carrier. Bush and the air wing will join with its guided-missile destroyer escorts USS Mason (DDG-87), USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) and USS Ross (DDG-71) with the staff of Norfolk-based Destroyer Squadron 22 embarked. The deployment will also be the first East Coast use of the Navy’s CMV-22B Osprey as a carrier onboard delivery aircraft with a detachment from the “Mighty Bisons” of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 40 embarked.

USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) sailing toward the Cheasapekae Bay after leaving Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on March 31, 2026. USNI News photo

• Carrier Air Wing 7 Includes:The “Jolly Rogers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
• The “Rampagers” of VFA 83 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Gunslingers” of VFA 105 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Wildcats” of VFA 131 – F/A-18E – Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Patriots” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 140 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
• The “Sun Kings” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 116 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.
• The “Mighty Bison” of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 40 — CMV-22B — from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
• The “Grandmasters” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 46 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.
• The “Nightdippers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5 – MH 60S – from Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va.

The strike group will finish assembling later this week, USNI News understands.

“We do know where we’re going, but as with always, we will go where the nation needs us,” Walker said. “Depending on what pops up in the world, we’ll be responsive and flexible and ready to go wherever we’re needed.”

Sailors watch USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) depart Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on March 31, 2026. USNI News photo

While the Bush Carrier Strike Group‘s leadership emphasized the unpredictability of carrier deployments, the Navy’s focus has been supporting the ongoing strikes in Iran as part of the month-long Operation Epic Fury. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is set to push their deployment to 11 months, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said Tuesday.

“We’re going to see a record-breaking deployment by Ford. We will probably go into the 11th month of deployment operations. For those who are not in the Navy, that’s an extraordinary thing to even think about… My hat’s off to the Ford,” Caudle said during a U.S. Naval Institute and CSIS event on Tuesday.

If Ford’s deployment extends past April 15, the carrier will have been deployed for 294 days, breaking the post-Vietnam War carrier deployment record. As of Tuesday, Ford has been deployed for 280 days.

The carrier anchored off the coast of Split, Croatia, following a brief stop for repairs at Naval Station Souda Bay, Greece, after the ship suffered a fire that started in the carrier’s laundry. The fire displaced hundreds of sailors aboard the ship and required the Navy to dispatch mattresses to Europe pulled from John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) and clothes from across the fleet.

In a statement, U.S. 6th Fleet said the crew and other engineers had rehabilitated seven berthing compartments and that military and civilian law enforcement were continuing to investigate the fire that started in the ship’s laundry facilities.

“She’s going to be back on station again here soon and [then] on some much-deserved leave,” Caudle said.