USS Abraham Lincoln Returns to San Diego After 322-Day Iran War Deployment
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 8
USS Abraham Lincoln Returns to San Diego After 322-Day Iran War Deployment
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 8
Summary
USS Abraham Lincoln is due back in San Diego on Thursday, ending a near-record 322-day deployment tied to the Iran war.
The unusually long mission strained the crew with food shortages and mental health struggles after Iran destroyed the Navy’s main Middle East hub in Manama, Bahrain.
With Iranian ballistic missiles threatening ports around the Arabian Peninsula, the Navy shifted its supply base to Diego Garcia, about 2,200 miles away, complicating deliveries of food, fuel and other goods.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rode the carrier for its final leg, dismissed reports of dysfunction as overstated and awarded the crew the Presidential Unit Citation.
Thousands of relatives are expected at the pier, where sailors whose spouses gave birth during the deployment will be among the first to disembark under Navy tradition.