Satellite Images Show U.S. Aircraft Carrier Gerald R. Ford Off Greek Coast

Recent satellite images have revealed the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford in international waters off the Greek coast, amid rising American military activity in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Images captured on February 23, 2026, by the European Sentinel-2 satellite under the Copernicus program show the carrier near the Greek island of Crete.

Approximate measurements from the images indicate the ship is about 337 meters long and 78 meters wide, consistent with Ford-class specifications, and its overall shape matches the class design.

According to official U.S. Navy data, the carrier measures 1,106 feet (approximately 337 meters) in length, with a flight deck width of 256 feet (around 78 meters), aligning with the measurements observed in the images.

The coordinates visible in the images place the vessel roughly 15 kilometers off the coast of Crete at 35°44'22.9"N, 24°06'00.9"E.

The deployment follows reports of the carrier transiting the Strait of Gibraltar from the Atlantic Ocean as part of a U.S. naval redeployment in the Mediterranean and broader Middle East.

The appearance of the Ford in the Mediterranean coincides with reports of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln operating in the Arabian Gulf in recent weeks.

What Is the USS Gerald R. Ford?

The USS Gerald R. Ford entered service in 2017 as the first of its new-generation class in the U.S. Navy. The carrier is approximately 337 meters long, powered by two nuclear reactors, displaces around 100,000 tons, and can reach speeds of more than 30 knots. It is equipped with multiple defensive systems, including ESSM and RAM missiles, as well as a CIWS.

Open-source satellite imagery highlights ongoing U.S. military activity in the Eastern Mediterranean amid a broader naval redeployment in the region. While the images capture the carrier’s location at a specific moment, they do not reveal its operational missions or strategic objectives, making any assessment of military movements dependent on the wider political and military context and subsequent official statements.

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