333 meters long. 76 meters high. Soon the giant sails up the Oslofjord.
The USS Gerald R. Ford is the world’s largest warship. It is also the newest pride of the US Navy.
The ship is usually based at the Naval Base in Norfolk, Virginia. But on May 2, it embarked on its first full mission, according to military news site Navy Times. On the journey across the Atlantic, it is escorted by the destroyers USS Ramage, USS McFaul and USS Thomas Hudner, among others.
The course is set for the Norwegian Sea and the North Sea, as well as Europe and Africa, DN has previously mentioned.
But now we know more precisely where the ship is headed: To Oslo.
On Thursday, the ship’s two nuclear reactors will take it up the Oslofjord.
The Oslo visit takes place just over six months after Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) and Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) visited the ship last year.
– Here we have seen some of what is at the core of Norway’s security, Støre told Aftenposten then.
Deterrent to Russia
This is the USS Gerald R. Ford’s first full cruise, after it was on a test trip last fall. That Norway and Oslo as the first destination is “significant”, believes Ståle Ulriksen. He is a college lecturer at the Norwegian Naval Academy.
– It is a mark of solidarity in NATO and part of the deterrence towards Russia, says Ulriksen, who adds that it demonstrates American power in the North Atlantic.
– Seen from the Russian point of view, this is quite threatening. They will probably find it a bit tiring.
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In the middle of a hectic program, Støre landed on the world’s largest warship. “The core of Norway’s security.”
USS Gerald R. Ford is part of the US 2nd Fleet. It has responsibility for the US East Coast and the North Atlantic.
Among other things, it can carry over 70 combat aircraft. That is far more than Norway’s entire planned fleet of 52 F-35 fighters. The ship is also equipped with the very best of new technology.
– It carries with it advanced fighters, planes with radars, lots of helicopters, and several thousand personnel. The ship has formidable striking power, says Ulriksen.
However, problems getting the technology to work led to years of delays, according to Business Insider. The ship was also far more expensive than planned.
Rare chance
It is not everyday that a very American aircraft carrier comes to Norway. The aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman took part in the NATO exercise Trident Juncture off the Norwegian coast in 2018. Before that, no similar ship had been in Norway since the beginning of the 1990s, according to Ulriksen.
USS Gerald R. Ford’s visit is thus a rare opportunity for the Americans to gain experience from Norwegian waters.
– If the ship is to be able to reinforce Norway or function here in war, then it must have been here before. It must learn about both the climate and the other challenges that exist here, emphasizes Ulriksen.
In recent years, however, Oslo has been visited by several aircraft carriers. The flagship of the British Navy HMS Queen Elizabeth made the trip in November last year.
