The 333 meter long and 78 meter high warship sailed into the Oslofjord at 6 o’clock on Wednesday morning.
Just before 12 o’clock the ship anchored near Ormøya i The Bunnefjord.
The ship will be in Oslo for four days, and is a planned visit.
The American ship will have several exercises together with the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Defense’s special forces, the Defense writes in a press release.
Leisure boat stopped
In connection with the visit, a military exclusion zone has been established around the aircraft carrier.
Other boat operators must keep a distance of 500 meters from the ship. In addition, there is a mid-term flight ban over the Inner Oslo Fjord.
Several people have gathered during the morning to watch the ship pass.
The police in Oslo have asked people to respect the restricted zone around the vessel.
A leisure boat was stopped by armed personnel.
Photo: Lars Håkon Pedersen/NRK
On Nesodden, a leisure boat was stopped by military personnel when it sailed too close to the ship.
– We encourage those who enjoy the traffic along the Oslo Fjord not to create any traffic-dangerous situations or create any queues in case there should be a queue when the ship comes in one after the other during the day, operations manager Gjermund Stokkli tells NRK.
You can see the ship’s route into the Oslofjord at the Coastal Agency’s service NAIS.
The world’s largest
“USS Gerald R. Ford” is the largest warship ever built.
In addition to a crew of 4,500 people, the ship accommodates 90 aircraft and helicopters.
The ship is on its first operational voyage ever, and Oslo will be the first port to be visited.
The trip is being called the deepest pilot mission into the Oslo Fjord ever, where the aircraft carrier stayed marginally within what is considered safe.
See live image of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.
Atomic drive
The aircraft carrier, which is powered by two nuclear reactors, had to apply for a license to dock in a Norwegian port.
The Directorate for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (DSA) says they have made a thorough assessment of the application from the Norwegian Armed Forces.
– We consider it safe to carry out this approach, provided that the procedures are followed as they are described in the application, and that the conditions we have seen are followed, said DSA director Per Strand to NTB.
The ship sails past Drøbak.
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford sails past Drøbak.
Photo taken from the Ekebergskrenten in Ekeberg in Oslo.
The aircraft carrier has driven at a leisurely pace, around 11 knots, into the Oslofjord. During the morning hours, the Kiel ferry Color Magic passed the ship, and the crew was able to take this photo.
The aircraft carrier, far to the right, outside Ringshaugstranda during the journey towards Oslo.
The defense believes the visit gives them a unique opportunity to further develop cooperation and work more closely together with their allies in the USA.
Together, they have planned several rehearsals during the visit.
– This is a very concrete sign of the security guarantee Norway has through NATO, Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram told NTB about the visit on Monday.
On Monday, it became known that the world’s largest warship, the American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, will visit Oslo this week.
– There are people everywhere
A large crowd has gathered on the quay in Drøbak to watch the aircraft carrier sail past.
– There are people everywhere, I haven’t seen the man, says Laila Wilhelmsen, who is also standing ready on the quay.
Laila Wilhelmsen on the quay in Drøbak.
Photo: Private
While it is exciting to follow, Wilhelmsen thinks it is a little scary.
– I grew up here in the 50s and then there were warships here all the time. I don’t know, but now we have teased Putin even more. It’s scary, I think.
– It is good that we are looked after, but it is strange, says Wilhelmsen.
The American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford on its way into the Oslo Fjord, here at Drøbak where people have gathered to watch the ship pass. The aircraft carrier is the world’s largest warship, and will be in port in Oslo for four days.
The ship seen from the Ekebergskrenten.
The picture was taken down by the quay in Drøbak. The aircraft carrier is followed by several military vessels, such as the Norwegian frigate Roald Amundsen that you see in the picture.
Several stood ready down by the quay in the aircraft carrier sailing past Drøbak.
Two people are on their way to the fjord with a small boat in Drøbak, just before the American aircraft carrier “USS Gerald R. Ford” sailed past.
Teacher Geir Fjørtoft Karlsen was up early and took the seal with him. He saw the ship from Store Færder outside Tjøme.
– It was huge! It came pretty close. There were many escort boats, he says.
The American vessel is 333 meters long and 78 meters high.
Photo: NRK
Mads Tønnesen is also one of those who followed the sealing in the morning hours. He has had an “orchestra seat” in the living room.
– I first saw something very out on the horizon, and then followed the ship around the east side of Tjøme, he tells NRK.
– It’s very special, it’s something you might not get to experience again. It is powerful to see something so big out on the fjord here.
Mads Tønnesen followed the ship in the morning hours today.
Photo: private
The Russian Embassy: – Demonstration of power
On Tuesday, the Russian embassy in Oslo came out and described the planned visit as a harmful demonstration of power.
– There are no issues in the north that require a military solution, nor topics that require outside intervention, writes Timur Chekanov at the Russian Embassy in an e-mail to NTB.
– Considering that they admit in Oslo that Russia does not pose a direct military threat to Norway, we see such demonstrations of power as illogical and harmful, Chekanov says to the news agency.
Tags: worlds largest warship anchored Oslo NRK Norway Overview news parts country
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