NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The crew of USS Gerald R. Ford earned some new hardware, as the 5,000 sailors on board got their hands on a big award. Every year the Battenberg Cup, a symbol of operational excellence, is awarded to the best ship or submarine in the Navy Atlantic Fleet. And the USS Gerald R. Ford earned it for being first in its class. "My crew literally carries on the legacy that President Ford left us, which was, work hard, be kind and don't brag," said Capt. Rick Burgess, commanding officer of the USS Gerald R. Ford. Well, maybe today will be an exception. "Oh, absolutely bragging rights, yes sir," said Aviation Boatswainn's Mate 2nd Class Jaylyn Moton. "A lot of ships don't get it." Admiral Daryl Caudle, commander of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command, said that "the ship just performed brilliantly, met all milestones on or ahead of time, and then gets over to the Mediterranean [Sea] and just simply crushes the deployment." That's no small feat on its first-ever full-scale deployment. "Everything was like, gotta go, gotta go, gotta do it, gotta get it done," said Logistics Specialist 1st Class Amanda Dawson. "It was a lot to handle, so receiving that award shows you that no matter how hard it was out there, it paid off for something. We did something good." The crew persevered through multiple deployment extensions under uncertain conditions in the Middle East. "I think they can be very proud of the work they did," said Rear Admiral Doug Verissimo, Naval Air Force Atlantic commander, "and frankly, many give them credit for really stopping, or at least slowing down the progress of the disruptions in the Middle East with Israel Oct. 7." The Ford won no fewer than 13 awards for safety and excellence in 2023. Burgess noted that the crew deployed May 2, 2023, when the newest biography of former President Gerald R. Ford came out. They learned he deployed on the Monterey May 2, 1943, so 80 years to the day. "We recognized that we were going to write the first chapter in the history of Ford-class carriers, and it could go any number of ways," Burgess said. And it's going gangbusters.