PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — The Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth welcomed USS Gerald R. Ford for its Planned Incremental Availability Tuesday, according to a press release.
After the aircraft carrier’s 326-day deployment that included operations in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Red Seas, this event marks the carrier’s first regularly scheduled availability at a public shipyard and the first time Norfolk Naval Shipyard has serviced a Ford-class aircraft carrier.
A Planned Incremental Availability is a time period when an aircraft carrier undergoes maintenance, repairs and modernization to meet future operational demands. A concurrent availability will be conducted to restore spaces that were damaged during the fire aboard the carrier in March 2026.
USS Gerald R. Ford’s availability is intended to play an important role in the U.S. Navy’s implementation of operations and overhauls to create a maintenance continuum, using smaller and more frequent availabilities to complete work while also increasing operational availability.
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The continuum has allowed the project team to complete advance work on the carrier at Naval Station Norfolk, including early testing, preparations for temporary service installation and jet blast deflector overhaul. The continuum also gives an opportunity to finish more work after the availability is completed…