The USS Abraham Lincoln reached San Diego Bay on Thursday after a deployment that included a record 265 uninterrupted days at sea supporting the Iran war.
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln returned to San Diego Bay on Thursday, ending a deployment that included a record uninterrupted 265 days at sea in support of the Iran war, the Associated Press reported from Coronado. Sailors waved to families as the ship came in.
The carrier had drawn attention over reports of crew stress, mental health strain and shortages of food and hygiene products during the mission. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew to the ship on Wednesday and presented the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest unit award.
The citation Hegseth read said the Lincoln and its strike group flew nearly 3,700 combat missions, launched 450 Tomahawk cruise missiles, shot down 77 one-way attack drones, sank 64 Iranian warships and destroyed 21 anti-ship cruise missiles. Those figures are from the citation as reported by AP.
The Navy told lawmakers that eight sailors attempted suicide during the deployment. AP noted that specialists regard that count as low for a strike group of about 6,000 sailors over 10 months. The Asia-based USS George Washington relieved the Lincoln in the Middle East in August.
AP correspondents Julie Watson and John Seewer wrote the homecoming story. The Navy had not published a separate public tally in the report used here.