USS Gerald R. Ford Celebrates Thanksgiving at Sea

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

11.23.2023

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Triniti Lersch 

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)           

Being away from home for the holidays can be challenging, but the world’s largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford's (CVN 78) crew came together to make Thanksgiving underway memorable, Nov. 23, 2023, during the ship’s first deployment.
Culinary specialists aboard Gerald R. Ford worked together to make their largest meal of the year. The stars of the show were the turkey, prime rib, chicken and honey-baked ham. The meats, sides, and desserts were served to the crew from 2-6 p.m.
The Ford-tastic feast was an all-hands effort and required weeks of planning. A multitude of culinary specialists and food service attendants dedicated themselves, providing a ‘home for the holidays’ feeling to the thousands of crew members aboard Gerald R. Ford.
Along with the hard work and commitment from the Sailors assigned to the supply department, there were volunteers from the Chiefs Mess, first class petty officer association and wardroom who offered their time to prep, serve and clean up for the crew. Alongside these Sailors, Gerald R. Ford’s very own Commanding Officer Capt. Richard Burgess, Executive Officer Capt. Matthew Mulcahey and Command Master Chief Brian Davis dished out food to the crew.
“I am super grateful for a lot of things,” said Burgess. “ I am certainly grateful for all of you. This is an amazing crew.”
During the Thanksgiving celebration, there was a cake cutting ceremony to celebrate the holiday, during which Burgess addressed the crew.
“We have an amazing deployment going and we’re doing great things,” said Burgess. “At some point here soon, we are going to be heading home. While we’re out here, I hope we can enjoy a little meal and each other’s company. Again, I just wanted you to hear it from all of us that we are so grateful for everybody on this ship.”
With the busy operation tempo, training schedules, and time zone changes, a day of relaxation, food, and celebration is well-deserved for the crew. MWR started out the holiday with an early morning 5k turkey trot on the flight deck, followed by cornhole in the hangar bay and football on TV. The night ended with a cigar social on the fantail.
The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (GRFCSG) is conducting a scheduled deployment in U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations, demonstrating the commitment and power projection capability of the Navy’s globally deployed force. The GRFCSG provides an inherently flexible naval force capable of deploying across combatant commands to meet emerging missions, deter potential adversaries, reassure allies and partners, enhance security and guarantee the free flow of global commerce. In total, the GRFCSG is deployed with more than 5,000 Sailors across all platforms ready to respond globally to combatant commander tasking.
Gerald R. Ford is the U.S. Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier. As the first-in-class ship of Ford-class aircraft carriers, CVN 78 represents a generational leap in the U.S. Navy’s capacity to project power on a global scale. Ford-class aircraft carriers introduce 23 new technologies, including EMALS, AAG and Advanced Weapons Elevators. The new systems incorporated onto Ford-class ships are designed to deliver greater lethality, survivability and joint interoperability with a 20% smaller crew than a Nimitz-class carrier, paving the way forward for naval aviation.
For more information about the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), visit https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/cvn78/ and follow along on Facebook: @USSGeraldRFord, Instagram: @cvn78_grford, Twitter: @Warship_78, DVIDS www.dvids.net/CVN78 and LinkedIn at USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).

• Date Taken: 11.23.2023
• Date Posted: 12.29.2023 14:08
• Story ID: 461032
• Location: MEDITERRANEAN SEA