1970s Source: On 29 February 1988,
Ike started her sixth deployment to the Mediterranean. While returning to Norfolk, on 29 August 1988, she collided with an anchored Spanish bulk carrier, the
Urduliz, while entering the harbor to dock at Norfolk Naval Station when wind and currents pushed the carrier off course, but only caused minor damage to both ships.
Dwight D. Eisenhower entered
Norfolk Naval Shipyard (
Portsmouth, Virginia) in September 1988; she returned to the fleet in April 1989.
1990s In 1990,
Dwight D. Eisenhower completed her seventh Mediterranean deployment. The deployment became a commemorative event in the worldwide "Dwight D. Eisenhower Centennial", celebrating the 100th anniversary of the late president's birth. During
D-Day anniversary ceremonies off the coast of
Normandy, President Eisenhower's son
John Eisenhower and D-Day veterans embarked in the ship, while
Carrier Air Wing Seven conducted a memorial flyover of the
American cemetery at
Omaha Beach in Normandy, France.
Gulf War In response to
Iraq's
invasion of Kuwait,
Dwight D. Eisenhower became the first carrier to conduct sustained operations in the
Red Sea, and only the second nuclear-powered aircraft carrier ever to transit the
Suez Canal.
Ike served as a ready striking force in the event Iraq invaded
Saudi Arabia, and participated in maritime interception operations in support of a
United Nations embargo against Iraq. After completion of an extensive shipyard period and work-up, the carrier deployed 26 September 1991 to the
Persian Gulf to continue multi-national operations with coalition forces in support of
Operation Desert Storm.
Ike returned to
Norfolk on 2 April 1992, and, on 12 January 1993, entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard for overhaul and conversion, returning to the fleet 12 November 1993.
Post–Gulf War in 1994. In September 1994,
Dwight D. Eisenhower and elements of the
U.S. 10th Mountain Division first tested the concept of adaptive force packaging. The division's soldiers and equipment were loaded on board, and the ship's Army/Navy team headed for
Port-au-Prince to lead Operation Uphold Democracy, the U.S.-led effort to restore the elected government of
Haiti. One month later, in October 1994,
Dwight D. Eisenhower departed for a six-month deployment which included flying missions in support of
Operation Southern Watch and
Operation Deny Flight. This deployment marked the first time that women had deployed as crew members of a U.S. Navy combatant.
Dwight D. Eisenhower,
Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW-3), and the Commander,
Cruiser-Destroyer Group 8 staff team included more than 400 women. The integration of women caused some negative headlines for the Navy. During the deployment, 15 women serving aboard had to be reassigned ashore because of pregnancy, earning the ship the nickname
The Love Boat. There was also a case of a sailor who
filmed himself having sex with a female.
2000s Deploying in February 2000 and returning that August on the "Millennium Cruise", for the first time
Ikes embarked aircraft dropped ordnance in combat while enforcing Operation Southern Watch's
No-Fly Zone over Iraq. On 3 October 2006 with Carrier Air Wing Seven (CVW-7),
Dwight D. Eisenhower returned to sea as
flagship of Rear Admiral Allen G. Myers, commanding
Carrier Strike Group Eight (CSG-8), which included
guided-missile cruiser ,
guided-missile destroyers and , and
fast-attack submarine . She visited
Naples, Italy, and then
Limassol,
Cyprus, for three days in October 2006 before departing to the east. She entered the Persian Gulf in December 2006. On 8 January 2007, a U.S.
AC-130 gunship based out of
Djibouti was dispatched to target
Al-Qaeda operatives located in
Somalia.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was deployed in the Indian Ocean to provide air cover for the operation and, if needed, to evacuate downed airmen and other casualties. She joined other U.S. and allied vessels from
Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150), based out of
Bahrain. A U.S. spokesperson did not say which particular ships comprised the cordon, but the task force included vessels from Canada, France, Germany, Pakistan, the UK and the US. Ships of CTF-150 from the U.S. Navy include the
Ramage and the . The aim of CTF-150's patrols is to "... stop
SICC leaders or foreign militant supporters escaping" Somalia. In March 2007, following the
Iranian seizure of Royal Navy personnel,
Dwight D. Eisenhower began
battle group exercises off the Iranian coastline. The following month, in April, the ship was relieved by
Nimitz. fighter aircraft conducts touch and go landings aboard
Dwight D. Eisenhower during a coalition training exercise. (SPIE) training session with
Dwight D. Eisenhower On 4 October 2008
Dwight D. Eisenhower Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert Lemar Robinson was killed aboard ship during training exercises off the coast of North Carolina. The sailor was struck and mortally wounded, by an airplane at 8:15 p.m. on the carrier's flight deck. On 21 February 2009,
Dwight D. Eisenhower deployed for the Arabian Sea and environs rotating into the forward-deployed forces there. She served as the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 8 commanded by Rear Admiral
Kurt W. Tidd. Also embarked was Carrier Air Wing 7 and the staff of Commander, Destroyer Squadron 28. Other ships of Strike Group 8 were , , , , and . In addition to supporting Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, the strike group conducted maritime security operations including anti-piracy operations. On 16 May,
Dwight D. Eisenhower became the first
Nimitz-class carrier to dock pier-side in
Manama, Bahrain. The last carrier to moor pierside in Bahrain was in 1948. On 30 July 2009,
Dwight D. Eisenhower returned to Naval Station Norfolk after an almost six-month-long deployment.
2010s , meets up with returning from a cruise to the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf in 2011 On 2 January 2010,
Dwight D. Eisenhower again deployed to the
U.S. 5th and
6th Fleet areas of operation in the Middle East. She served as the flagship of the
Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group commanded by Rear Admiral
Philip S. Davidson. While in theater, the strike group provided security cooperation, forward naval presence, maritime security, and crisis response. In addition to
Ike, the strike group was made up of Carrier Air Wing 7; Commander, Destroyer Squadron 28; the guided-missile cruiser ; and guided-missile destroyers , , and . On 28 July 2010,
Ike returned to her homeport in Norfolk. The ship was placed in a planned incremental
availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard from September 2010 through June 2011. The ship was deployed again 7 June 2012 to the Middle East in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The ship returned to homeport 19 December 2012. On 22 February 2013,
Ike and Strike Group 8 departed for another Mediterranean and Mid-East deployment. After pulling into
Marseille, France in early March, the German became the first to fully integrate into an American strike group.
Hamburg, commanded by Commander (
FKpt) Ralf Kuchler (
GN), remained with the strike group while it operated with the 5th fleet. The ship returned to homeport 3 July 2013. On 6 August the ship began an ammunition offload in preparation for an upcoming docked planned incremental availability (DPIA) at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. On 26 August 2014, the ship was moved to Berth 42-43 from Dry Dock #8 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and as of 4 February 2015, the DPIA was four months behind schedule, with the ship planned to remain in the yard until at least April 2015. On 3 September 2015, the ship went back to sea. On 8 June 2016,
Dwight D. Eisenhower and her Carrier Strike Group sailed the Atlantic Ocean into the U.S. 6th Fleet's area of operations (AoR) in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe. On 22 November 2016,
Military Times reported that since June 2016, when the ship entered the Persian Gulf after launching strikes from the eastern Mediterranean, the carrier's Captain, Paul Spedero, reported that sorties from
Dwight D. Eisenhower had dropped nearly 1,100 bombs on
ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria.
Ike returned to homeport Norfolk 30 December. On 18 March 2016, while she was sailing off the coast of Virginia, eight members of her deck crew were injured when the arresting gear cables failed and "came apart", during the routine landing of an
E-2 Hawkeye aircraft. Six of the injured deck crew were flown by helicopter to nearby shore-based hospitals, while the other two remained and were treated aboard ship. None of the eight suffered life-threatening injuries. The Hawkeye immediately resumed flight and landed safely at
Chambers Field, Norfolk Naval Station, with no reports of injuries to her crew or damage to the aircraft. In December 2016, the ship completed her 17th deployment to the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
2020s On 13 January 2020,
Dwight D. Eisenhower left Norfolk for her
Composite Training Unit Exercise ahead of deploying. After exercising with
Carrier Strike Group 10 until late February,
Dwight D. Eisenhower immediately deployed to the Persian Gulf without returning to port, due to
Dynamic Force Employment (DFE), a strategy to help make naval deployments less predictive. On 26 June 2020, the ship surpassed the 's record of 160 consecutive days at sea without a port call by reaching its 161st day. This new mark is attributed to the
COVID-19 pandemic and the ship's operational commitment to "remain clean" by avoiding any contact with ports that carried the potential of introducing the novel coronavirus into the crew. On 25 and 26 July 2020, the
Hellenic Air Force (HAF) co-trained with USS
Dwight D. Eisenhower southeast of Crete. On 3 March 2021,
Dwight D. Eisenhowers Strike Group conducted Exercise Lightning Handshake with
Royal Moroccan Navy frigate and
Royal Moroccan Air Force fighter jets. On 5 March, the underwent alongside her in the
Strait of Gibraltar. On 2 April,
Dwight D. Eisenhower, with Carrier Air Wing 3 and her Carrier Strike Group, transited the Suez Canal into the Red Sea in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
Israel-Hamas war On 14 October 2023,
Lloyd Austin directed
Dwight D. Eisenhower and her carrier strike group, which includes the cruiser , and destroyers ,
Mason and , to the
eastern Mediterranean in response to
Israel's war with Hamas. This is the second carrier strike group to be sent to the region in response to the conflict, following and her group, which was dispatched only six days earlier. To boost morale Captain Hill and senior officers have instituted a philosophy on the ship called "the Way of the Warrior Sailor." In his communication as a leader, Hill said he uses "rapid, relentless, repetitive, positive communication," or R3P. In doing so, Hill said he emphasizes the importance of acknowledging each sailor personally, highlighting the significance of their roles and reassuring them of their performance. "What does morale get us? Morale gets us success in battle," Hill explained to
CBS 60 Minutes. "That's the ultimate goal. You know, it might allow you to do well on inspections, allow you to do well in your day-to-day activities. But ultimately, it's about combat and success … And it's working."
United States–Houthi conflict (2023–present) On 26 December 2023, at 6:30 a.m.,
Dwight D. Eisenhower launched Super Hornet aircraft and, together with the destroyer
Laboon, destroyed 12 attack drones, three anti-ship missiles and two ground attack cruise missiles in the southern Red Sea, fired from Yemen's Houthi rebels in an over 10 hour-action. On 30 December, Danish
container ship issued a distress call after coming under fire from four small ships commanded by Iranian-backed
Houthi rebels from Yemen. Attempts were also made to board
Maersk Hangzhou by force, while a contracted security team defended the ship.
Dwight D. Eisenhower and guided missile destroyer
Gravely responded to a distress call from the container ship. Verbal commands were radioed to the Houthi ships, while helicopters from
Dwight D. Eisenhower were dispatched. After taking small arms fire, U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire, sinking three of the four Houthi ships. There was no damage to U.S. equipment or personnel. In the process of responding to the distress call,
Gravely shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired from Yemen. On 10 January 2024, the
Houthis carried out more missile attacks against US and UK ships. All projectiles were shot down by
Dwight D. Eisenhower and other ships. On 12 January, aircraft from Carrier Air Wing Three embarked on
Dwight D. Eisenhower, participated in the
2024 missile strikes in Yemen against
Houthi rebels.
Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired by the cruiser
Philippine Sea as well as the destroyers
Mason and
Gravely, and the submarine .
Dwight D. Eisenhower continued supporting
Operation Prosperity Guardian and the 2024 missile strikes in Yemen until 26 April when she passed through the
Suez Canal and entered the Eastern Mediterranean. She returned to the Red Sea in May to resume operations after a port call in
Souda Bay, Crete. The Yemeni
Supreme Political Council stated it launched two attacks on
Dwight D Eisenhower, though American officials denied this, and no evidence has surfaced of such attacks. Fake footage of a damaged ship were shared across social media which were further amplified by pro-Chinese and pro-Russian social media accounts.
Associated Press journalists toured the ship after the alleged attack and found no sign of battle damage. Captain Hill claimed during the
Taco Tuesday on the ship that
Houthis have claimed to have sunk the ship multiple times before, though the Houthi movement had never officially claimed to have sunk the carrier. On 14 July 2024,
Dwight D. Eisenhower returned to
Naval Station Norfolk after a nine-month combat deployment. Aircraft from
Carrier Air Wing 3 expended nearly 60 air-to-air missiles and 420 air-to-surface weapons during the deployment. == Overhauls ==