USS Abraham Lincoln Returns to USA With Markers Indicating Destroyed Iranian Targets: 103 Drones, 34 Ships, and 10 Submarines

The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln returned to the United States after a nearly 11-month deployment, during which its strike group participated in combat operations against Iran and destroyed dozens of ships, drones, and missiles.

This was reported by The War Zone, whose journalists analyzed photographs of the aircraft carrier after the conclusion of its combat deployment.

Markings in the form of silhouettes of destroyed targets have appeared on the ship’s superstructure. Journalists counted 103 markings for attack drones and 34 markings for ships and boats. The images of the drones resemble the Shahed-136, but may also represent other types of Iranian drones.

According to official data announced on October 7 by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hagseth, during Operation Epic Fury, the carrier strike group shot down 77 attack drones, sank 64 Iranian vessels, and destroyed 21 anti-ship cruise missiles.

These results cover the period from the start of Operation Epic Fury on February 28 until the carrier strike group’s departure from the region on August 22, 2026.

During this period, the group’s aircraft flew 3,693 combat sorties and expended approximately 621 metric tons of air-to-ground munitions. Escort ships also launched 450 Tomahawk cruise missiles at ground targets.

Specific markings on carrier-based fighter jets indicate the destruction of Iranian submarines. In particular, a corresponding image was recorded on an F/A-18F Super Hornet from the 41st Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA-41). In total, this squadron deployed 421 missiles and aerial bombs during combat operations.

At the same time, the number of marks on the aircraft carrier does not match official statistics.

On its superstructure, there were 26 more drone marks than indicated in the award document, but 30 fewer ship marks. The reasons for the discrepancies have not yet been explained.

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln returned to San Diego on October 8 after more than 320 days of deployment. As part of the operation against Iran, its strike group received the Presidential Unit Citation for combat merit.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that on August 22, the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group left the Middle East after completing its combat deployment and moved into the area of responsibility of the U.S. 7th Fleet.

The extended deployment was accompanied by logistical challenges due to the threat of Iranian strikes on ports in the region.