Increased police presence was expected in Chania this week in anticipation of the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford at the Souda naval base for the second time in a month. On the morning of Tuesday 26th December, the US’s biggest aircraft carrier berthed with the help of tugs at quay K14 at Marathi, where it is due to stay until 30th December. Increased police patrols are in force for the days when members of the ship’s 6,000 strong complement of crew and airmen are expected to be visiting the city of the Chania and the Venetian harbour. Ploumidaki Street, which runs between the Municipal Kypos and the Park of Peace and Friendship, is closed to traffic this week to accommodate the buses carrying the visitors.
The largest carrier in the American fleet, the USS Gerald R. Ford is 337 metres long with a displacement of 100,000 tons. It is powered by two nuclear reactors which can propel it at speeds in excess of 30 knots, and is equipped with innovative electromagnetic catapults for launching aircraft. It can accommodate over 75 aircraft of different types. Built at an estimated total cost of €17.5 billion including R&D, the Gerald R. Ford was originally scheduled for delivery in 2015, but was finally delivered to the US Navy on 31 May 2017 and formally commissioned by President Donald Trump on 22 July 2017. Its inaugural deployment, to the Atlantic, took place at the beginning of October 2022.
On 8 October 2023, the day after the Hamas attack on Israel, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, directed the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean “to bolster regional deterrence efforts”, and it has been there since that date. The carrier previously visited Souda on 2nd December of this year.
As on previous visits by this and other US warships, their presence has been met with protests by left-wing and pacifist organisations. Local concerns about these visits focus on two issues – the possible threat to law and order represented by thousands of off-duty American sailors descending on the city in search of entertainment, and the vulnerability of the city to attack as a result of its association with “imperialist warmongers” – i.e. the US and its NATO allies.
A statement by the Laiki Syspirosi (Popular Rally), the KKE-backed opposition faction on the Chania Council, criticised the government and local authorities for giving the ship a friendly reception and called on the Council “to protect the right of Chaniots and our many visitors from all parts of Greece to enjoy the festive season”. For its part the Protovoulia Antistasis (Resistance Initiative) maintained that “the second visit of the US aircraft carrier, as well as every facilitation, support or involvement in the plans of the imperialists, constitute an insult to the peaceful and democratic people of Chania”.
As regards the first issue, as we stated in an earlier post on the visit of the USS George HW Bush in October 2022, crew visits to the city are generally very low-key. The sailors, dressed in casual clothes, are mostly well-behaved, and it is clear that the US naval authorities have gone to some lengths to ensure their visit is friction-free. However, the previous visit of the Gerald R. Ford was marred by an incident of drunkenness, in which a sailor was arrested but afterwards released into the care of the US Military Police.
Greece’s membership of NATO and its determination to cultivate a strong strategic relationship with the US, stemming partly from past tensions with Turkey, make it unlikely that local opposition to activities at the Souda base will cut much ice with the government. While the city could theoretically be vulnerable in the event of a major escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, this remains a fairly remote possibility for the present.
Meanwhile it is to be hoped that the American sailors will enjoy their visit without causing trouble. In addition to visiting to the city and the old harbour, they will going on excursions to places of interest in the surrounding area. We spotted a black tourist minibus with tinted windows outside SYNKA in Kolymbari this morning, with some young adult passengers unmistakable from their American accents. The bus was seen later parked outside the Gonia Monastery, where we hope that the sailors had time to visit the collection of icons in the basement museum.
(Haniotika Nea, Wikipedia)