USS Gerald R. Ford Arrives in St. Thomas, USVI for R&R
The massive aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is making its first-ever port call to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands as part of its current deployment in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility. A popular port of call for cruise ships, the carrier was scheduled for a visit on December 1, to give the sailors some R&R.
The stop in St. Thomas is the carrier’s first port visit since entering U.S. Southern Command in support of Operation Southern Spear, operating under U.S. Fourth Fleet. The carrier made a rapid redeployment from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean in support of the Trump administration’s regional show of force and increased efforts to curtail drug shipments coming from South America.
“The sailors in our carrier strike group team have been extremely adaptable, taking our U.S. Southern Command tasking as priority number one,” said Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, commander of Carrier Strike Group Twelve. “Our port visit in St. Thomas gives us the rest and recuperation we need to continue the mission of upholding law and order across the Western Hemisphere in support of the President’s priorities.”
The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group transited the Anegada Passage and entered the Caribbean Sea, on November 16. As part of Joint Task Force Southern Spear, the carrier strike group is joined by additional joint forces, including the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group.
The carrier strike group has had a busy few months. After departing on deployment from Naval Station Norfolk, on June 24, the carrier strike group conducted multi-domain strike group operations in the Atlantic Ocean before transiting east into the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations, sailing above the Arctic Circle, and throughout the Mediterranean Sea with multiple Allies and partners. It participated in NATO’s Neptune Strike 25-2 and 25-3 enhanced vigilance activities, and conducted port calls in Croatia, France, Germany, Norway, and Spain. The force arrived in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility after a westbound transit through the Strait of Gibraltar, on November 4.
The progress and movements of the carrier strike group are drawing attention as Donald Trump has increased the rhetoric against Venezuela and the drug cartels. Over the weekend, Trump told reporters that the airspace above Venezuela is effectively closed, leading to speculation that the United States would conduct land strikes likely from the carrier after it had already struck many small boats accused of transporting illegal narcotics in the Caribbean.