USS Abraham Lincoln Begins Journey Home After Nine-Month Middle East Deployment
The carrier and its crew of about 5,000 sailors left the region after supporting operations against Iran; the USS George Washington has taken its place.
Washington1 min read
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The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has begun its return voyage to San Diego after a nine-month deployment in the Middle East, a U.S. official confirmed.
The ship, with a crew of roughly 5,000, spent 272 days at sea supporting U.S. operations against Iran. It left San Diego on 21 November last year and was originally scheduled to return in May. The deployment was extended as the conflict continued.
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, visited the crew to announce they were going home. In an opinion essay he wrote that he delivered the words every deployed sailor longs to hear.
The USS George Washington, based in Japan, arrived in the Middle East on Wednesday and has assumed the Lincoln’s role under Central Command.
Sailors aboard the Lincoln reported low morale, faulty plumbing, rationed meals and shortages of basic supplies during the extended mission. Port visits were limited because of the security situation around the Strait of Hormuz. Supplies were often delivered from Diego Garcia rather than the usual regional bases.
President Trump last week dismissed concerns about the length of the deployment, saying it was not nearly long enough. The administration has framed the carrier presence as essential to maintaining pressure on Iran and securing maritime routes.
The return journey of approximately 13,000 miles is expected to take four to five weeks. For the crew, the transit home offers a period of relative calm after months of high operational tempo.
The Lincoln’s deployment is one of the longer continuous carrier missions in recent years and illustrates the strain that sustained Middle East operations place on both ships and personnel.
