The crew of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln begins their journey home

Retired US Navy Admiral Andrew Loisel said that the crew members of the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln felt "extremely relieved" after announcing their return home, following the psychological ups and downs that accompanied their extended naval mission.

“Before that, they were told... you will return at this date, and then the date would be extended for two weeks, or maybe a month,” Loisel told CNN on Friday. “And every time the date changes... it represents a psychological fluctuation for the crew members, when they are trying to know when they will actually return to their families.”

According to a source, the aircraft carrier "Lincoln" began its return journey home. Its nearly 13,000-mile journey to San Diego will take about a month, Loisel said.

He added that this leg of the voyage "will be a welcome break" for service members, as they will use it to prepare the ship and prepare the aircraft for flight.

During their time at sea for about nine months, the crew likely relied on supplies arriving from Diego Garcia, a small island in the Indian Ocean located more than 2,000 miles from the Iranian coast, rather than the usual US base in Bahrain, due to the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Loisel.

“This ultimately means longer periods between resupply operations, longer periods between mail and Amazon packages, all things that help keep crew morale up,” he said. “Hopefully, mail will reach them more regularly on the return trip, which will raise morale as well.”

A crew member serving aboard the "Lincoln" described the morale of the ship's personnel as very low, pointing to repeated pressure on some basic services, such as the frequent breakdown of toilets and water fountains throughout the ship, as well as the often unavailability of hot water.

Other sailors, in statements to CNN, also described conditions they had never encountered during their previous sea missions, largely due to the war that prevented the ship from stopping in the ports of friendly countries.