Sens. Kaine and Warner tour Ford, maintenance scheduled for 6 months

Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner visited Portsmouth on Friday to tour the USS Gerald R. Ford as the carrier begins its scheduled maintenance at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Shipyard leaders told them the work is on an “extraordinarily ambitious” six-month timeline. Warner credited the captain’s push to complete tasks quickly and said if it can be done in six months, it should guide broader acquisition efforts. The Ford set a record with 11 months at sea in 2025 and 2026, including plumbing problems and a laundry fire that destroyed bedding and limited cleaning. Navy investigators are examining the fire’s cause, and a report’s findings could influence future fire-suppression designs. The maintenance will cover scheduled and emergent repairs, and the senators said they also heard concerns from families about the toll of extended deployments.