USS Abraham Lincoln returns home after controversy-plagued deployment

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is set to make port in San Diego on Thursday following a combat deployment lasting nearly eleven months. UPI, the New York Post and MSNBC reported that the vessel spent around 300 days at sea during its tour in the Iran war. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boarded the ship on Wednesday to honor its roughly 5,000 crew members, Fox News and UPI confirmed. [1][2][3][4]

While greeting the crew, Hegseth praised sailors for carrying out complex missions against Iran, the New York Post reported. UPI noted that the carrier strike group completed 10,000 sorties and 23,000 combat flight hours. According to The Hill, Hegseth also unveiled a Presidential Unit Citation for the crew during his visit. [1][4][8]

The long deployment was marked by severe internal difficulties. UPI and the New York Post reported that sailors faced suicide attempts, deteriorating living conditions aboard the vessel, and mental health struggles. Hegseth briefly acknowledged these adversity and mental health issues during his speech, according to the New York Post. [1][4]

The USS Abraham Lincoln is the fifth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in the United States Navy and operates out of San Diego, California. It serves as the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3 and hosts Carrier Air Wing Nine. [11]

Following reports of onboard hardship, Senator Ruben Gallego, Democrat of Arizona, called for official reviews into the deployment. MSNBC reported that Gallego requested investigations by the Pentagon inspector general and the head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office to examine crew fatigue, mental health care, and supply failures during the mission. [3]