USS Abraham Lincoln docks in Thailand after nine-and-a-half-month deployment

United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln made port in eastern Thailand in the crew’s first port call after nine and a half months at sea, following a taxing deployment in the Middle East amid reports of supply issues, deteriorating mental health conditions and low morale on board.

Carrying a crew of 5,000, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was seen making its way into the Laem Chabang port in Chonburi province early on Wednesday, shortly after the destroyer USS Frank E Petersen Jr sailed past the area, accompanied by other US naval vessels.

By afternoon, busloads of plainclothes sailors and Marines arrived at a resort hotel in Pattaya, a coastal city 150 kilometres (93 miles) southeast of Bangkok. Thai officials have said the Lincoln’s stop would be for rest and recovery before returning to its US base.

The Lincoln had been anchoring the US naval blockade and combat operations during the US-Israeli war on Iran.

While crew members remained out of reach for comment, the ship’s weathered hull was noticeable, and the ship itself looked due for at least a new paint job, according to The Associated Press (AP) journalists who were present on-site. Large rust patches blemished the exterior, particularly along the waterline and the edge of the flight deck where fighters and helicopters sat parked.

When asked about the aircraft carrier’s lacklustre appearance, Captain Dan Keeler, the Lincoln’s commanding officer, replied that “it is normal for a long deployment” and declined to comment further.

US President Donald Trump rejected concerns raised by families of the Lincoln’s crew members over the aircraft carrier’s winding deployment for weeks. Standard naval deployments span six to nine months, extending only during periods of heightened conflict. Weeks ago at Joint Base Andrews, the home base for Air Force One, reporters had asked the president if the Lincoln had been at sea for too long. He responded, “No, not nearly long enough.”

Questioned about his thoughts regarding Trump’s earlier remarks, the commanding officer said: “So, the president speaks for himself.”

He told AP, “That is what I think about that.”

The sailors and Marines are expected to rest in Thailand for several days.

“Our arrival in Laem Chabang provides a well-deserved opportunity for our Sailors and Marines to rest and recharge,” the commander of Carrier Strike Group 3, Rear Admiral Robert E Loughran, said in a statement. “What this strike group has accomplished is truly historic. I could not be prouder of the exceptional professionalism and expertise demonstrated by every member of this team during our operations.”

During his second term, Trump pledged to steer clear of protracted, high-cost military conflicts. And after launching a joint war with Israel against Iran, the president and his advisers said the conflict would only last a matter of weeks. The war has now entered its seventh month.