New Video – USS Aircrafts Carrier FORD Run Into PROBLEMS due to malfunctioning TOILETS: “Flood of raw sewage flowing through the ship”
February 23, 2026: The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) arrived at U.S. Naval Support Activity Souda Bay on the island of Crete on February 23 as part of its redeployment to the Middle East under U.S. Central Command. The carrier’s port call comes as the vessel continues to manage persistent malfunctions in its onboard sewage system, affecting daily life for its crew of approximately 4,600 sailors.
The Ford, the lead ship of its class and the Navy’s most advanced nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is currently more than eight months into deployment. The ship was redirected from operations in the Caribbean under U.S. Southern Command and is now transiting toward the eastern Mediterranean and onward to the Middle East amid U.S. operational planning related to Iran.
Footage from the supercarrier USS Gerald Ford shows a major flood of raw sewage flowing through the ship
«Footage from the U.S. Navy’s newest supercarrier the USS Gerald Ford on February 24 has showed a major flood of raw sewage flowing through the ship, following persistent issues of clogged toilets and backed-up sewage. This follows years of reports that the ship’s narrow pipes have frequently been blocked, triggering sewage system breakdowns across the ship. Issues reportedly worsened in January, while the carrier was deployed to the Caribbean to support an attack on Venezuela and the abduction of its president, Nicholas Maduro» Military Watch Magazine wrote.
The ship had then been repositioned closer to Venezuela in mid-December, and following successful attacks on Venezuela, was redeployed to the Eastern Mediterranean in late February to support a broader U.S. military buildup against Iran.
According to the Navy Times, the supercarrier received an average of one “sewage-related maintenance call per day” during its 2025 deployment. Internal records show hundreds of failures of the USS Gerald Ford’s sewage system over short periods, including an internal report of 205 breakdowns in four days during 2025, forcing the carrier to seek external assistance dozens of times since 2023 to try to keep the system serviceable.
The use of a specialised acid flush, costing around $400,000 per use, has sometimes been necessary to clear buildup and can only be done in port, not at sea.
The requirement for sailors and technicians to work long hours to manage the problem has reportedly contributed to low morale, exacerbating the demoralisation already caused by the significant extension of the supercarrier’s deployment long past usual durations. U.S. Navy officials say the toilet problems haven’t compromised mission capabilities, but they are a serious quality-of-life concern.
Investigations published by NPR and The Wall Street Journal detailed recurring breakdowns in the carrier’s Vacuum Collection, Holding and Transfer (VCHT) sewage system. The system, adapted from commercial cruise ship designs and intended to conserve water, relies on narrow piping and vacuum pressure to move waste.
650 toilets,divided across 10 independent zones but a single valve failure can disable vacuum suction across an entire zone
The ship is equipped with approximately 650 toilets, referred to in naval terminology as “heads,” divided across 10 independent zones. According to internal communications cited in the reports, a single valve failure can disable vacuum suction across an entire zone, rendering all associated facilities inoperable.
Internal Navy emails obtained by NPR showed that 205 separate toilet breakdowns were logged over a four-day period. Hull Technicians assigned to maintenance have reportedly worked shifts of up to 19 hours to address clogs, leaks, and valve failures. Sailors have reported waiting up to 45 minutes to access functioning facilities when outages occur.
Since 2023, the Ford has required 42 external service calls related to the sewage system. Of those, 32 occurred during 2025 deployments, including multiple calls after the ship departed Norfolk on June 24, 2025. Reports indicate that repairs for individual clogs typically take between 30 minutes and two hours, depending on severity.
USS Ford at over $17.5 billion it is the most costly warship ever built,
Issues with the USS Gerald Ford have been wide ranging, affecting its weapons elevators, electromagnetic catapults, human waste management and sensors.
«A Project on Government Oversight report accordingly referred to the program as an example of “how not to build a ship,” with radars proving to be sufficient flawed that it was decided an entirely new sensor suite would need to be developed for future Gerald Ford class ships. These issues caused major delays, and while the ship belatedly entered service in June 2017, it could not commence its first operational deployment for over five years until October 2022. At over $17.5 billion it is the most costly warship ever built, coasting over twice as much as its Nimitz Class predecessors» Military Watch added.
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