India, May 18 -- The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group returned to its homeport at Naval Station Norfolk on Saturday, concluding a historic, gruelling 11-month deployment that marked the longest consecutive tour for a modern US aircraft carrier since the Vietnam War.

Thousands of cheering family members and senior military officials gathered on the piers to welcome home the state-of-the-art supercarrier, alongside the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Bainbridge and USS Mahan.

In total, the strike group brought home more than 4,500 service members who spent an unprecedented 326 days at sea, surpassing the post-Vietnam record of 295 days set by the USS Abraham Lincoln in 2020.

A Presidential Citation for Extraordin...