Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew to the carrier on Wednesday. The Pentagon said the ship spent more than 260 days without a port call, and the Navy said the strike group had eight suicide attempts.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew to the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on Wednesday and praised sailors who had stayed at sea through an extended wartime deployment, Reuters reported from Washington. The ship is due to dock on Thursday in San Diego.
The Pentagon said the deployment included more than 260 continuous days without a port call, a record. The Navy said the carrier strike group had eight suicide attempts among US sailors during the time at sea. Hegseth accused media outlets of trying to turn the Lincoln into a symbol of a failed mission.
Hegseth said the ship's record included sinking 64 Iranian warships, destroying 21 anti-ship cruise missiles, flying 3,693 combat sorties, launching 450 Tomahawk missiles and firing 1.37 million pounds of ordnance against Iran. He said the ship had no casualties and no aircraft mishaps despite the pace of operations. Those figures are from his remarks as reported by Reuters.
He told the crew that what set the sailors apart was adapting and finishing the mission. The visit does not change the ship's return schedule. Reuters did not report a new operational order tied to the flight-deck stop.
The suicide-attempt count is the Navy's figure for the strike group, not a count of deaths. Reuters did not report how many of the attempts were fatal.
People Sentiments Mixed
- Hegseth said sailors adapt, stay resilient and finish the mission.
- He accused media of trying to turn the Lincoln into a symbol of a failed mission.