Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier Sidelined, Crew Struggles

0:00On March 2-8, America's priciest warship ever, the USS Gerald R. Ford, got pulled from operations against Iran after just two weeks in the Red Sea. This $13 billion beast, the world's biggest aircraft carrier at 1,106 feet long, is now sideline for repairs. Possibly up to a year, key failures include those eco-friendly toilets that keep clogging in a nasty fire that wrecked living quarters. The headaches go way back to at least 2020, with the fancy vacuum sewage system borrowed from cruise ships needing constant fixes that have already burned through $4 million. Naval experts say the toilets just don't flush right without proper pressure, leaving the crew dealing with backups non-stop. Sailors and their families are feeling the strain hard, pushed to the breaking point by the chaos on this floating city housing, 4,500 people. Hundreds ended up sleeping on the floor for days after that March 12 fire in the laundry area spread smoke everywhere through the air system.

1:02Knocking out beds and even laundry service had the chopper closed to other ships. Now the ships docked in Croatia for assessments, repairs, and resupply, with the Navy insisting it's still fully mission capable, but no clear. Timeline yet. The investigation into the fire is underway, and the USS George H.W. Bush is steaming toward the Mediterranean with a similar setup to pick up the slack. As tensions simmer in the Middle East, this glitchy giant highlights how even top dollar tech can falter under pressure, leaving the fleet scrambling to stay sharp.