The USS Abraham Lincoln is heading home to the United States at last, wrapping up a Middle East deployment that stretched beyond 200 days amid the war in Iran, as defense officials ready another aircraft carrier to take its place.
Before its return journey, the USS Abraham Lincoln made a stop in Thailand last week, giving roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines a chance to unwind, step off the ship and take in the attractions of Pattaya, one of the country’s best-known resort destinations.
‘We would like to thank the people of Thailand for their incredible hospitality,’ US Navy Captain Dan Keeler, the commanding officer of the USS Abraham Lincoln, said in a statement.
‘This port visit to Pattaya was a tremendous opportunity for this crew to recharge and a highlight for the strike group.
‘Thailand has such rich culture and history, coupled with incredible hospitality and that all shone through in this port visit,’ Keeler added.
‘We are grateful to our Thai allies for hosting us and we look forward to continuing our mission here in 7th Fleet, alongside Thailand and our other regional allies and partners.’
The trip marked the ship’s first regular port call since it was first deployed on November 21.
The patrol included 280 days at sea and 200 in combat zones playing a crucial role in Operation Epic Fury and the US blockade of Iranian ports.
Aircraft carriers typically make port calls every 30 to 45 days for maintenance, resupply of goods and crew rest. But the USS Abraham Lincoln previously only stopped at Guam on December 11 through 12 and made an even shorter stop in Oman on July 7.
As a result, sailors onboard reportedly experienced brutal conditions that family members said led some service members to experience mental health crises.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is finally making its way back to the United States after a lengthy deployment to the Middle East and a brief port call to Pattaya, Thailand
More than 5,000 sailors and Marines onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and its carrier strike groups spent 208 consecutive days at sea and 200 days in combat zones
In Pataya, the crew members were given the chance to relax and explore the sites
The sailors described to the Wall Street Journal how they had to work 12-hour shifts, seven days a week amid cramped conditions.
They had been allocated extra time off after their deployment was extended beyond its original end-date in May, and crew members tried to keep up morale with activities such as spelling bees or lip-syncing competitions.
But at times, their meal portions became smaller to ensure there would be sufficient rations as the fighting made resupplying the vessels more difficult.
Sailors also said that early on in the deployment, the WiFi onboard the ship was turned off for nearly two months for operational security, which made it more difficult to communicate with friends and family back home.
Despite these challenges, the sailors said they were proud of what they accomplished – including shooting down more than 200 Iranian drones and flying more than 10,000 operational missions.
As the ship now heads home, US Navy officials made a point to thank the crew members for their service.
‘To the sailors of USS Abraham Lincoln, thank you. Your dedication, professionalism and resilience through a long and demanding deployment represented the very best of our Navy,’ Adm. Daryl Caudle said in a video address.
‘You answered the call, you got the job done and just as importantly, the lessons you bring home are helping us better prepare the next team to deploy,’ added Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman.
The USS Abraham Lincoln shot down more than 200 Iranian drones and flying more than 10,000 operational missions. US Navy Ensign Lorenzo Vigil is pictured standing watch on the bridge as the ship was docked in Thailand
The two officials then went on to announce that when the USS Theodore Roosevelt departs from its home port of San Diego in the coming weeks, it will carry extra supplies so it can remain self-sufficient.
The decision to do so comes as the Defense Secretary extended troop deployments in the Middle East, including for warship crews, air defense units and paratroopers.
‘Roosevelt is maximizing its loadout of food, retail products and hygiene items before getting underway,’ Caudle said.
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Crew members are also ‘converting available spaces into additional storage, building the ability to remain self-sufficient for longer periods, especially when resupply may be difficult,’ Perryman announced.
At the same time, the Navy is ‘focused on quality of life’ issues.
‘That means new entertainment equipment on the mess decks, more durable fitness equipment, spare cardio machines ready for our replacement and even holiday materials purchased ahead of time,’ said Caudle.
Additionally, efforts are underway to provide families with ‘reliable, consistent communication throughout the deployment,’ the admiral said.
‘Small things matter during a long deployment because taking care of our sailors is part of maintaining combat readiness,’ Perryman concluded.
‘As one carrier returns home, we listen to its sailors and families. We capture what worked and what didn’t and we make it better the next time.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt is gearing up for its deployment to the Middle East in the coming weeks. It is pictured here in 2020
Crew members are stocking up the aircraft carrier with supplies ahead of the deployment
‘To the Lincoln team, thank you for what you accomplished and for what you taught us,’ he continued. ‘And to the Roosevelt team, we’re doing everything we can to make sure you are ready for the mission, for you and your families.’
Since the beginning of the war in Iran, reports have surfaced of food shortages and rationing aboard the Lincoln, accompanied by photographs of sailors’ meals.
Sailors aboard the Lincoln are also said to have endured moldy showers, broken toilets, laundry outages and long stretches without hot water.
The wife of one even described the ship as a ‘floating metal prison’ with appalling conditions, claiming her sailor husband described the experience aboard the aircraft carrier stationed in the Middle East as ‘the worst deployment he’s ever been on.’
‘This is not his first deployment. This is not his first time being out there, and he is saying that it is the worst deployment that he’s ever been on. And he also says that his shipmates say the same,’ she told CNN‘s Jake Tapper.
Sailors have complained about the meager portions they were receiving onboard the ship
Remaining anonymous out of fear of retaliation against her husband, the woman added that her spouse, who she said is typically unaffected by work stressors, ‘feels himself being angrier and more frustrated.’
‘You’re stuck in a floating metal prison essentially, in the middle of the water, eating prison-like food with the same people in the same bunk beds in the same small quarters for 200 days, 250 days, you start to go a little insane working 12 hours, getting four or five hours of sleep,’ she continued.
Some even reportedly tried to jump ship amid the extended deployment, with one 19-year-old father-of-two now facing non-judicial punishment from the Trump administration for hurling himself overboard in an apparent attempt to drown.
Navy documents accuse the servicemember of ‘intentionally faking an illness or hurting themselves to avoid work, duty or service,’ while a separate charge claims he failed to report to his required place of duty during the mental-health crisis.
‘I think they’re insane for doing this to people who need mental help,’ the sailor’s wife told MS NOW. ‘Instead of giving them help, this is just another huge stressor.’
His wife said he repeatedly requested paternity leave to meet his newborn daughter but was denied each time. His fate will be decided at a ‘captain’s mast,’ where his commanding officer could dock as much as half his pay, according to the charging documents.
The sailor was rescued after going overboard on August 3 and medically evacuated before returning to San Diego ten days later, according to his wife.
He then spent five days at Naval Medical Center San Diego, known locally as Balboa, where staff monitored his vital signs but never had him evaluated by a psychiatrist or therapist, she said.
He was ordered back to work immediately after his release and did not receive his first therapy session until this Wednesday, nearly two weeks after arriving home.
The Navy is pursuing the case through non-judicial punishment, an internal disciplinary process generally used for lower-level misconduct that avoids a formal court-martial and criminal conviction.