Nordland Newspaper: On Friday afternoon Avisa Nordland was first notified that the USS Gerald R. Ford was off the coast of Nordland. Images sent by AN on Saturday morning show that the ship is now closer than before and is located outside Helligvær in Bodø.

USS Gerald R. Ford is the largest warship ever built. The ship was christened in 2013, but after several years of testing and preparation, it is now in normal operation. In early May, the ship left the United States and embarked on her first operational voyage.

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Showing sovereignty

Friday notified The Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority introduced air confederation zones in the regions of Lofotodden, Værøy and Røst. The restrictions started at 8am on Friday morning, and will last until midnight on June 7.

– The fact that Americans sail in this region, make themselves known and want to train here underlines how important cleanliness is in this part of the country. said the Storting representative from Nordland, Bård Ludvig Thorheim (H) to Avisa Nordland.

He believes America warmly welcomes their arrival in the north, and says this shows how important Norway and the Nordic countries are to security policy.

– We don’t think about it every day, but we live in an area that is important for security policy. It is from this coast that we can control our military, and it can be seen in the world of big politics that both Russia and China attach great importance to the northern sea area. Therefore, it is important to demonstrate that we, together with our allies, demonstrate that we are capable and willing to safeguard our sovereignty.

Making its debut

The American ship anchored in Oslo on Wednesday 24 May, and began her journey north on Monday 29 May.

The ship must, according NRKsailed to Vesterålen to take part in Exercise Arctic Challenge (ACE).

Have understanding

The landing in Norway – which received widespread media coverage – was touted as a strong signal to Russia and a deterrent. Russia described the visit as an illogical and dangerous demonstration of power.

– Do you understand that some people may be afraid because you know so little about the visit?

– I don’t think you need to worry. They are here to train to defend Norway with the Norwegian armed forces. When I visited the ship, we weren’t given any restrictions on who we could take pictures of. There were journalists everywhere and I felt the transparency that they had, among other things, 90 fighter jets on board. Obviously there are some operational things that are kept secret, like where they’re going and when they’re going to train, but that’s completely normal, Thorheim said, before stressing:

– At the same time, I can understand that some people find it scary. The fact that more people now live in the north is linked to the huge and brutal war in Ukraine. It would be very scary if war broke out in Europe, and this would create uncertainty internationally. Precisely for this reason, it is important for us to get confirmation from allies that they want to train with us to defend this important part of Norway and NATO.

Great interest

While the ship was in the Oslo Fjord, thousands of people flocked to the surrounding area, both by land and water. Because they wanted to approach the aircraft carrier, several ship drivers were approached by the police and the Norwegian Armed Forces. In the past Drøbaksundet reported VG that there was traffic chaos due to interests surrounding the ship.

Thorheim also believed that more and more Northerners wanted to see the ship with their own eyes.

– I think some people will be interested in seeing the ship. Maybe it’s a bit far, so it’s not easy to see it from land, but I think the atmosphere is the same as in Oslo. People found it majestic and attractive, and many responded positively to the visit. At Malmøya in Oslo, people flocked to take photos and wave. I don’t think there were any protesters there, so people were probably basically positive. At the same time, there will always be some dissenting voices, but that is what happens in a democracy.

While the USS Gerald R. Ford was in Oslo, Norwegian representatives were allowed to visit the ship themselves.

– I was really looking forward to it, but my expectations were completely exceeded. Riding an aircraft carrier is great, but riding a ship that is also the largest ship in the world is hard to describe. This ship has enormous fighting power, said Thorheim when Avisa Nordland spoke with him after the visit.

Several parties have recently criticized the fact of the arrival of the world’s largest warship. The ship is nuclear powered and naval captain Tor Ivar Strømmen, who is also a researcher at the Naval Academy, can NRK Debate does not rule out the possibility that there are nuclear weapons on board the ship.

Someone who was less positive about the USS Gerald R. Ford’s visit was Andreas Tymi at Rødt.

Checking nuclear safety

Avisa Nordland has been sent photos from the Directorate of Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (DSA) which has carried out water tests in connection with the warship’s visit to Vestfjorden. The USS Gerald Ford was powered by two nuclear reactors, and defense experts speculated whether the ship was carrying nuclear weapons.

– DSA maintains nuclear safety in various ways during these visits, including by taking water samples. “We are assured that the samples we took in Oslo, in connection with the call there, did not show any results of radioactivity,” DSA wrote in a statement to Avisa Nordland.