The USS Gerald R. Ford, a cutting-edge aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy fleet, is grappling with severe and recurring malfunctions in its waste disposal system. Despite representing a substantial investment of $13 billion, the vessel's sanitation infrastructure, derived from a design utilized in the commercial cruise industry, frequently succumbs to operational failures. This predicament has resulted in considerable annoyance and inconvenience for the 4,600 sailors serving aboard the ship.

For seven months since its departure from Norfolk in June, the USS Gerald R. Ford has been stationed near the coast of Venezuela as a central component of the Trump administration's naval deployment in the Caribbean. Its current mission involves collaborating with the Coast Guard on the interception of oil tankers linked to Venezuela, particularly following the apprehension of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Concurrently, the crew faces continuous challenges with the ship's toilet facilities, a vacuum-based system that a 2020 Government Accountability Office report identified as inadequately sized and poorly conceived. These systemic failures force the crew to contend with frequent breakdowns throughout their extended periods at sea.

Internal communications, specifically a series of emails obtained by NPR, illuminate the ship's ongoing struggle with these persistent plumbing issues. The emails indicate a significant escalation in problems with the Vacuum Collection, Holding and Transfer (VCHT) system during 2025. This vacuum technology, although water-efficient, proves to be overly complex in its implementation on the USS Ford. Records show that breakdowns have been a constant issue since the carrier's initial deployment in 2023.

A document acquired through a Freedom of Information Act request reveals that trouble calls for VCHT system repairs or clogs have been a daily occurrence since June 2023, whenever the full complement of the crew is aboard. The carrier has sought external assistance for these problems 42 times since 2023, with the frequency increasing to 32 calls in 2025, and 12 of those occurring after the current deployment began in June. A specific email from the engineering department to all chiefs on March 18, 2025, reported 205 breakdowns within a mere four-day span, indicating that the hull maintenance technicians (HTs) responsible for the sewage system were overwhelmed even before the USS Ford's scheduled deployment.

The email further highlighted the strain on the maintenance crew, stating, "Our sewage system is being mistreated and destroyed by Sailors on a daily basis. My HT's are currently working 19 hours a day right now trying to keep up with the demand." The crew's demographic profile, resembling a college campus, means many sailors are experiencing their first extended period away from home. The emails reveal a range of foreign objects, from t-shirts to a four-foot piece of rope, being removed from the narrow vacuum pipes. Common household items like brown paper towels and even standard toilet paper also contribute to blockages. The most frequent issue is a dislodged valve at the back of the toilets, which can lead to a loss of suction across an entire zone of facilities. An email from the chief engineer on March 18 even advised crew members to use the restrooms immediately, as a system shutdown for vacuum leak detection in Zone 6 was imminent.

A month following the carrier's departure from Norfolk on July 24, 2025, initially en route to Europe and the Mediterranean, NPR received a complaint from a sailor's mother regarding the unsanitary conditions. Around the same period, internal USS Ford emails showed the executive officer pressing the engineering department for explanations regarding the breakdowns. The most costly and persistent issue involves calcium deposits that clog the narrow pipes, particularly on the lower decks. The 2020 GAO report estimated a $400,000 expense for an acid flush to restore the system, and ship records indicate at least 10 such flushes since 2023. These crucial maintenance procedures can only be conducted while the ship is in port. In August 2025, a month after leaving Norfolk, the engineering department struggled to convey the full scope of the problem to leadership, explaining the inherent fragility of the VCHT system due to its thousands of interconnected components.

The crew has been in communication with the A1B Propulsion Plant Planning Yard at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia, part of Huntington Ingalls Industries, which is the sole constructor of Ford-Class aircraft carriers. The Navy's In-Service Aircraft Carrier Program Office (PMS312) is tasked with maintaining these vessels. An email from the planning yard dated July 24 offered a temporary solution: "What we want to do is give you a temporary resolution to get your heads into a somewhat functional use until such time 10+ years down the road when PMS312 finally gets around to paying for a redesign." This suggests a long-term fix is not on the immediate horizon.

The issues with the carrier's waste system were recognized long before its delivery to the Navy. A potential solution could involve assigning more sailors to address the frequent repairs, despite the ship's design intent to operate with a smaller crew than older Nimitz-class carriers, as noted by Shelby Oakley, director of GAO. Oakley emphasized the need to provide adequate living conditions for sailors, lamenting the current struggles. Bryan Clark of the Hudson Institute remarked on the cautionary tale presented by the USS Ford's plumbing problems, suggesting that using a traditional system might have been preferable to embracing untested technology. He highlighted the fundamental difference in mission between a nuclear-powered warship, designed for months at sea, and a cruise ship. This situation serves as a warning as the Trump administration considers accelerating shipbuilding, potentially introducing even more unproven systems into future vessels.