World's Largest Warship Flexes Its Muscles in the Nordic Region

Les på norsk.

An American fighter of the type F-18 Super Hornet prepares for operation as High North News' journalist enters the flight deck of the largest aircraft carrier in the world, the USS Gerald R. Ford.

The American aircraft carrier is operating at an unknown location in the North Sea on this day. HNN has been invited aboard a US Navy aircraft of the type C-2 Greyhound on a 1,5 hour flight from Oslo.

Facing the rear of the aircraft during the windowless flight, the ride proved interesting for those prone to motion sickness. Just before landing, the journalist too has to resort to a stiff and concentrated look ahead (well, backward), and the thoughts turn to the upcoming landing on the aircraft carrier with a tailhook and arresting wires. 

The crew urges us to get ready. The transport aircraft hits the deck, and the arresting gear decelerates the plane to a complete stop in a few seconds. X number of g-forces are in play as we are pressed back in our seats.

Then, straight out to the enormous flight deck.

Fighter jets all around

Jet engines roar one by one. The wind shifts from cold to warm, and the smell of fuel is in the air. The activity is overwhelming.

On the loudspeaker, a voice drowns out the noise from the flight deck with information about who is taking off and landing.

Like a commentator during a football match, but with a far more serious backdrop.

Another F-18 moves towards the runway and is immediately in the air with the others.

Some of the fighter jets fly out of sight, some fly together above the ship, while others set course for the flight deck to conduct one of the most difficult maneuvers within aviation: landing on an aircraft carrier.

During landing, the pilot lowers a tailhook, aiming for one of three arresting wires of steel that stretch across the flight deck.

The pilot goes full throttle as the plane hits the deck. This is done in case the tailhook does not engage and the plane has to take off again.

A floating city

The USS Gerald R. Ford is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier commissioned in 2017. At its widest, the flight deck measures a whopping 78 meters and has a capacity of over 75 aircraft. The ship is 333 meters long.

On board are a coffee shop, hairdresser, postal service, library, the ship's store, and five gyms.

The "floating city" has arrived in the North Sea after a port stop in Oslo and an extended training period off the coast of Northern Norway.

Captain David Skarosi, USS Gerald R. Ford's Commanding Officer, emphasizes to High North News that the ship's training in the High North has been "extremely important."

Operations in the High North

"It is a gift for us to come up to the High North. It is something we don't do every day and is a unique opportunity to learn how to conduct operations in this region," says Skarosi.

As HNN has previously reported, the aircraft carrier, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 12, recently conducted several weeks of joint training with Norwegian units in the High North.

Among other things, Norwegian military vessels and aircraft operated with American destroyers and support vessels in the Barents Sea.

During the stay, the Norwegian and American activity has been monitored by Russian vessels and aircraft, the Norwegian Armed Forces stated.

"Routine. Normal. Safe. Professional. Nothing of consequence," answers Skarosi when asked about the Russian response to the activity in the North.

Are there any major differences for the aircraft carrier when operating in the High North?

"No, not really. It is colder. It is pretty much a normal day for us."

How has the cooperation with the Norwegian Armed Forces been?

"It’s awesome. Absolutely fantastic. From the HQ building, to the liaison officers that were onboard, to the maritime advisor. Extreme professionalism the entire time. It's been great to operate with them," replies the captain.

NATO activity

Back in the North Sea on this day, many of the air operations are taking place in connection with Neptune Strike, a NATO Enhanced Vigilance Activity, organized for the third time this year.

During Neptune Strike, NATO takes operational control of an aircraft carrier group, as well as other maritime capabilities from a number of allies, in support of deterrence and defense of the alliance.

The activity, which is not described as a military exercise in itself, involves around 10,000 sailors, soldiers, aviators, and marines from 13 allied countries and 20 vessels. The operations are taking place in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, among other places.

And several other vessels are visible on the horizon. The French frigate Bretagne, the American destroyers USS Mahan and USS Winston Churchill are among the ships operating with the aircraft carrier in the North Sea.

The operations are taking place while Russian violations of NATO countries' airspace are repeatedly reported.

However, Neptune Strike is planned months in advance and does not come as a reaction.

The aircraft carrier's air wing

"This aircraft carrier can do a lot of things at once. We have specific missions for Neptune Strike. In the meantime, we also conduct separate flights around the ship, primarily in connection with training. Each pilot has a syllabus they have to train for to meet the qualifications," says Captain David Dartez, Commander of Carrier Air Wing Eight.

The air wing is attached the Ford with several squadrons of F-18 Super Hornets, a squadron of EA-18 Growlers, surveillance and early warning aircraft of the E-2D Hawkeye type, two helicopter squadrons, as well as airborne logistics support.

Dartez underscores that the activity during Neptune Strike contributes to greater interoperability between allied nations.

"We have to innovate to make sure we are all trained the same way and looking at different problem sets," he says and continues:

"Basically, we all come to an event with separate capabilities. [We look at] how we can work all of those together. It is a big test for our communication, to see a common picture, and how this can help us when we all start on the same page."

Important partnerships

Down on the deck, as planes take off above us, HNN meets Rear Admiral Paul Lanzilotta. He is the commander of Carrier Strike Group 12.

He also highlights the partnerships and interaction between forces when HNN asks about the significance of Neptune Strike.

"When we strengthen our relationships, it makes us a stronger alliance."

As his colleague Captain Skarosi, Lanzilotta recently visited the High North in connection with the training activity there, including a visit to the Norwegian Joint Headquarters in Bodø.

"We have worked quite a bit with Norway, and we have a close cooperation with the NJHQ in Bodø. We learned about how we can support each other and what the best ways of working together are."

Lanzilotta highlights the importance of training together with the US destroyers and the air wing in the Barents Sea.

"It just shows that we are capable of operating with Norway along the entire Norwegian coastline," he underlines.

"For me, as a career naval flight officer and aviator, it is interesting to see the environment up there, what the seas were like, and how quickly it can become very foggy just off the coast. It was really interesting to operate in the environment, and practice our process for operating aircraft in that environment."

"We are not just here in name"

Since Donald Trump was inaugurated as president of the United States, the debate surrounding the country's approach to Europe has been characterized by uncertainty. 

When asked by the press aboard about the topic of US' military engagement with Europe, the rear admiral emphasized that the US is ever more engaged with its allies. 

"I am deployed to the European theatre. I do not think we are withdrawing; I think we are quite engaged. And we like it that way," he says and concludes:

"We are actually here. We are not just here in name. We are here because we have been ordered here by our policy-makers, and our alliance wants us here to operate together."