USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group Departs Middle East After 274-Day Deployment

The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has left the Middle East after nearly seven months in the region and moved into the U.S. 7th Fleet’s area of responsibility.

USNI News reported this.

The carrier strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln, along with its escorting ships and Carrier Air Wing Nine, is currently operating in the Indian Ocean within the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

In total, the deployment of the carrier strike group has now lasted 274 days.

The ship departed from San Diego on November 25, and its last officially recorded port call took place on December 11 in Guam.

The aircraft carrier’s continuous deployment at sea for more than eight months in a row broke the record of 206 days, set by the crew of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The prolonged deployment at sea was accompanied by logistical challenges due to the threat of Iranian strikes on Middle Eastern ports. This forced support ships to travel thousands of miles to deliver fuel and food to the Arabian Sea.

The USS George Washington aircraft carrier, which had been based in Japan, arrived to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln under the U.S. Central Command.

It has joined the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier, which has been operating in the region since late April, ensuring the continuous presence of two U.S. Navy carrier strike groups.

It is currently unknown whether the USS Abraham Lincoln will sail directly to the U.S. West Coast or make a stopover at a port along the way.

The crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln experienced a sharp decline in morale after spending more than 250 days at sea without a full port call.

Around 200 crew members’ family members had previously raised concerns about exhaustion, suicidal thoughts, and inadequate psychological support for everyone who was on the aircraft carrier.