Photos show the first full deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford supercarrier, home at last after being sent as a warning to foes

The US Navy first deployed this new $13 billion supercarrier in 2022, after years of delays and cost overruns that drew significant criticism, for a "short, service-retained deployment" in the Atlantic Ocean. It marked the first time in 40 years a first-in-class carrier had set sail on a maiden deployment.

The 2023 deployment was far more extensive, taking the warship and its crew to more places.

During its recent deployment, the Ford anchored off the coast of Oslo, Norway, making it the first American aircraft carrier to visit Norway in 65 years.

The Navy said the visit — the first stop of the deployment — involved training activities and operations "to help reduce maritime risks associated with increased activity in the high north," underscoring NATO's increased focus on the region amid heightened tensions with Russia.

USS Gerald R. Ford conducted its largest replenishment-at-sea in August, transporting more than 600 pallets of goods from the dry cargo ship, USNS Medgar Evars.

The supercarrier received 144 pallets of mail, 1,651 pallets of general stock, 297 pallets of provisions, and 17 pallets of store merchandise. The Ford also off-loaded 124 pallets of used supplies, outgoing mail, and waste during the RAS.

Following the surprise attack by Hamas militants in early October, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin extended the schedule of the USS Ford Strike Group, directing the warships to the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea.

The deployment was ultimately extended twice as the US sent a message. US Central Command said specifically it was there to "deter any actor seeking to escalate the situation or widen this war," referring to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Strike Group later joined the Ford CSG in a further show of force in support of Israel, a key US ally in the Middle East.

The US uses a naval base located in Souda Bay on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete. The base is located at the heart of the eastern Mediterranean, making it a strategically valuable spot as the war between Ukraine and Russia goes on.

Over 239 days at sea and more than 83,476 nautical miles "validated the ability" of the Ford "to perform sustained operations at sea," US Fleet Forces wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The ship's crew conducted 43 replenishments-at-sea and transferred 8,850 pallets of cargo and 20.7 million gallons of fuel with no mishaps, according to a Navy statement. In the air, the Ford's crew logged more than 17,826 flight hours and flew 10,396 sorties.

The ship's culinary team was hard at work as well in the 8.5 months at sea, preparing and serving more than 3 million meals onboard — including about 48,000 dozen eggs, 24,000 gallons of milk, 131,000 hamburgers, 367,000 pounds of chicken, and 79,000 chocolate chip cookies.

"Though extended, we were the right ship at the right time to answer the call, and our Sailors performed admirably," Capt. Rick Burgess, Gerald R. Ford's commanding officer, said. "Ford Sailors honored our namesake's legacies of hard work, integrity, and courage."