Israel-Hamas war: World’s biggest warship sails into region - USS Gerald Ford in pictures

The US has sent a carrier strike group closer to Israel following a surprise attack by Hamas.

Jimmy Nsubuga
·5-min read
FILE - The USS Gerald R. Ford, one of the world's largest aircraft carriers, arrives in Halifax on Oct. 28, 2022. The Pentagon has ordered the Ford carrier strike group to sail to the Eastern Mediterranean to be ready to assist Israel, two U.S. officials said Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. The USS Gerald R. Ford and its approximately 5,000 sailors and deck of warplanes will be accompanied by cruisers and destroyers in a show of force that is meant to be ready to respond to anything, from possibly interdicting additional weapons from reaching Hamas and conducting surveillance. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadi
The USS Gerald R. Ford has been sent closer to Israel. (PA)

The US has sent a carrier strike group to the Mediterranean to back Israel following a surprise attack by Hamas militants on Saturday.

The Palestinian militants sent fighters across the border of Gaza and fired thousands of rockets into Israel on Saturday.

In retaliation, Israel bombarded the enclave with its heaviest air strikes in 75 years and sealed it off from receiving electricity, fuel and water.

Some 1,200 Israelis have been killed since Saturday's assault, and 1,055 Palestinians killed in retaliatory attacks.

Joe Biden said his response would be “swift, decisive and overwhelming” as he announced he was sending the USS Gerald R. Ford to support Israel after it emerged US citizens were being held hostage by Hamas.

He said: “I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans being held hostage around the world."

Biden added: “The Department of Defense has moved the USS Gerald Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Eastern Mediterranean and bolstered our fighter aircraft presence.

“And we stand ready to move in additional assets as needed."

A person on the bridge looks down at F18 jets lined up on the flight deck of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the 'world's largest warship', during a media visit while it is anchored in the Solent during a stopover in Portsmouth on it's maiden deployment. Picture date: Thursday November 17, 2022. (Photo by Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images)
A person on the bridge looks down the flight deck of the USS Gerald R. Ford. (Getty)
GOSPORT, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 17: F-18 jet fighters are seen on the flight deck of USS Gerald R. Ford, on November 17, 2022 in Gosport, England. The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is the lead ship of her class of United States Navy aircraft carriers. Commissioned in 2017, the carrier is powered by two nuclear reactors with a length of 1,092 feet and displacement of 100,000 long tons full load. With a crew of approximately 4,550, 75+ aircraft and state of the art weaponry, the first-in-class is the US Navy's most advanced aircraft carrier. USS Gerald Ford has been carrying out NATO exercises in the North Atlantic with French and Spanish ships. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)
The flight deck of USS Gerald R. Ford. (Getty)
GOSPORT, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 17: Navy personnel walk past an F-18 jet fighters on the flight deck of USS Gerald R. Ford, on November 17, 2022 in Gosport, England. The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is the lead ship of her class of United States Navy aircraft carriers. Commissioned in 2017, the carrier is powered by two nuclear reactors with a length of 1,092 feet and displacement of 100,000 long tons full load. With a crew of approximately 4,550, 75+ aircraft and state of the art weaponry, the first-in-class is the US Navy's most advanced aircraft carrier. USS Gerald Ford has been carrying out NATO exercises in the North Atlantic with French and Spanish ships. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)
F-18 jet fighters on the flight deck of the warship. The carrier is powered by two nuclear reactors. (Getty)
A view of the US Navy's newest aircraft carrier the USS Gerald R. Ford, the 'world's largest warship', at anchor in the Solent during a stopover in Portsmouth on it's maiden deployment. Picture date: Thursday November 17, 2022. (Photo by Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images)
The warship moored in the Solent during a stopover in Portsmouth on it's maiden deployment in 2022. (Getty Images)

The move has been criticised by Turkey's leader Tayyip Erdogan and Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Erdogan on Tuesday said the carrier strike group would commit "serious massacres" in Gaza.

He previously said that Turkey was ready to mediate between Israeli and Palestinian forces to ensure calm.

Putin, who is currently waging a war against Ukraine, accused the US on Wednesday of inflaming the Middle East by sending the carrier group to the region, saying "compromise solutions" were needed and that he hoped common sense would prevail.

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History of USS Gerald R. Ford

The USS Gerald R. Ford is a United States Navy aircraft carrier, commissioned in 2017, and named after the country’s 38th president.

It is the lead ship of its class and the first new aircraft carrier design in over 40 years.

Its construction began in 2005 and was completed in 2017, with a total cost of $13 billion (£10.6 bn).

The carrier is currently the largest and most advanced warship in the world and is powered by two nuclear reactors.

Length and weight

The ship is 1,092 feet long, 256 feet wide, and has a displacement of 100,000 tons.

In comparison, a standard double-decker bus in the UK is up to 36 ft 5 inches and weighs around 16 tons.

Meanwhile, a typical cargo ship comes in at around 60,000 to 80,000 tons, although this can vary depending on the type and size of the ship.

GOSPORT, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 17: F-18 jet fighters are seen on the flight deck of USS Gerald R. Ford, on November 17, 2022 in Gosport, England. The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is the lead ship of her class of United States Navy aircraft carriers. Commissioned in 2017, the carrier is powered by two nuclear reactors with a length of 1,092 feet and displacement of 100,000 long tons full load. With a crew of approximately 4,550, 75+ aircraft and state of the art weaponry, the first-in-class is the US Navy's most advanced aircraft carrier. USS Gerald Ford has been carrying out NATO exercises in the North Atlantic with French and Spanish ships. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)
F-18 jet fighters are seen on the flight deck of USS Gerald R. Ford in 2022. (Getty)
TRIESTE, ITALY - 2023/09/18: EDITOR'S NOTE: (Image taken with a drone) American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is seen from the air anchored in Italy in the Gulf of Trieste. The USS Gerald R. Ford is the largest warship in the world. (Photo by Andrej Tarfila/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is seen from the air anchored in Italy in the Gulf of Trieste. (Getty)
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the 'world's largest warship,' is seen at anchor in Faliro Bay, Athens, Greece, as part of its summer deployment, on July 28, 2023 (Photo by Nikos Libertas / SOOC / SOOC via AFP) (Photo by NIKOS LIBERTAS/SOOC/AFP via Getty Images)
The world's largest warship is seen at anchor in Athens in July. (Getty)

What can it carry?

The carrier has the capacity to transport up to 90 aircraft, including advanced models such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, and EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft.

It can hold MH-60R/S helicopters and unmanned air and combat vehicles and can accommodate a crew of 4,660.

Technology

The USS Gerald R. Ford comes with advanced technology, including the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG), which allow the carrier to launch and recover a wider range of aircraft more efficiently.

A crew member works on the bridge of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the 'world's largest warship', during a media visit while it is anchored in the Solent during a stopover in Portsmouth on it's maiden deployment. Picture date: Thursday November 17, 2022. (Photo by Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images)
A crew member works on the bridge of the USS Gerald R. Ford. (Getty)
Ensign Marty Carey walks past F-18 fighter jets lined up on the flight deck of the U.S. Aircraft Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford while anchored in the Solent near Gosport, Britain, November 17, 2022. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
The flight deck of the US aircraft carrier. (Reuters)
GOSPORT, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 17: Navy personnel work in an advanced weapons elevator of USS Gerald R. Ford, on November 17, 2022 in Gosport, England. The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is the lead ship of her class of United States Navy aircraft carriers. Commissioned in 2017, the carrier is powered by two nuclear reactors with a length of 1,092 feet and displacement of 100,000 long tons full load. With a crew of approximately 4,550, 75+ aircraft and state of the art weaponry, the first-in-class is the US Navy's most advanced aircraft carrier. USS Gerald Ford has been carrying out NATO exercises in the North Atlantic with French and Spanish ships. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)
Navy personnel work in an advanced weapons elevator of USS Gerald R. Ford. (Getty)
Missiles sit on the electromagnetic weapons elevator in the hangar bay aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford CVN-78 on Oct. 6, 2022. The elevator is one of the new pieces of technology on the ship that streamlines the weapons-moving process and cuts down on time. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Missiles sit on the electromagnetic weapons elevator. (Getty)

Weapons and propulsion

The Raytheon-evolved Sea Sparrow missile system is installed on the Gerald R Ford class, providing defense against high-speed and agile anti-ship missiles.

The carrier is also equipped with the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) system from Raytheon and RAMSYS, which serves as its close-in weapon system.

It also has two RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow launchers, two MK 15 Phalanx close-in weapon systems, and two MK 38 chain guns.

The carrier comes equipped with the AN/SLQ-32(V)3 electronic warfare system, which is designed to detect and counter incoming threats such as missiles and torpedoes.

The Ford-class carriers have advanced nuclear propulsion systems developed by Northrop Grumman, which feature two reactors, four shafts, and a zonal electrical power distribution system, allowing it to reach top speeds of 30 knots.

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