USS Abraham Lincoln returns to home port after near-record deployment
U.S. Navy Sailors and Marines man the rails of the USS Abraham Lincoln Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in San Diego Bay as it returns to its home port of Naval Air Station North Island after its 10-month deployment on October 8, 2026, in San Diego, CA.
Sailors began stepping off the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln Thursday at the ship’s home port in San Diego Bay after a deployment that included a record 265 days at sea.
The ship’s deployment of 321 days is the second-longest post-Viet Nam deployment in American history. The USS Gerald Ford holds that record from its return in May after a 326-day deployment.
The backstory:
The Lincoln’s time at sea came with reports of supply shortages and deteriorating mental health among the crew. Families who lined up to welcome their loved ones described to the Associated Press periods of crying and losing sleep after hearing about the ship’s food shortages and tough conditions. Many said sailors sent lists of foods they were craving.
Spectators from the Point Loma Optimist Club hold American flags on Shelter Island as they welcome back the USS Abraham Lincoln Nimitz-class aircraft carrier to its home port of Naval Air Station North Island after a 10-month deployment on October 8,
As dozens of sailors stood atop the carrier facing cheering families and spectators, members of the Point Loma Optimist Club held large American flags to welcome them home. Others held homemade signs with messages like "Welcome Home" and "You Are Valued." One large banner read, "Welcome Home. You Deserve Better."
The carrier drew national attention amid reports of stress and supply shortages, including food and hygiene products, while it was deployed for its Iran war mission.
But it was not the first extended mission for the Lincoln. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the ship was deployed for 294 days between 2019 and 2020. It was deployed for 290 days between July 2002 and May 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to the defense department.
Dig deeper:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew out to the Lincoln the day before its arrival to award to the 5,000 sailors aboard the Lincoln the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest honor a unit can receive.
"I draw inspiration from the mission that you executed so successfully. You have changed the arc of history: ensuring that crazy people — theocrats — never get a nuclear weapon changes the arc of history," Hegseth said.
He compared his landing on the carrier on "the most beautiful of days" with the flight deck empty to the ship’s arrival at the start of their mission, "in the middle of the night in dangerous territory with a full flight deck during combat operations."
"And you didn’t miss a beat," he said. "That’s why we’re here: The world needs to understand that. The country needs to understand that."
Hegseth told the crew that "what makes the U.S. military and the U.S. Navy and all these sailors different is that you adapt and that you’re resilient and you overcome — you finish the mission nonetheless."
Timeline:
The carrier left San Diego in November and arrived in the Middle East in January. U.S. and Israeli forces launched airstrikes against Iran on Feb. 28.
Hegseth credited the Lincoln and its strike group for executing nearly 3,700 combat missions, launching 450 Tomahawk cruise missiles, shooting down 77 one-way attack drones, sinking 64 Iranian warships and destroying 21 anti-ship cruise missiles during its mission.
Navy leaders eventually acknowledged there were some issues aboard after initially downplaying reports of problems.
In August, acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said the Lincoln maintained adequate food supplies, but said there were fewer meal options for a short time because of combat operations that limited opportunities to resupply.
That same month, President Donald Trump responded to a question about the length of deployment in August, saying that it was "not nearly long enough." He told reporters that he had spoken with a retired admiral who assured him the Lincoln is "beautifully maintained and beautifully taken care of."
The Navy told lawmakers that eight sailors attempted suicide during the record-setting deployment, the AP reported, citing experts who said that number is low in a strike group of 6,000 sailors over 10 months.
After more than 10 months at sea, the ship’s crew stopped in Thailand on the way back from the Middle East.
The USS George Washington, a carrier that is usually based in Asia, relieved the Lincoln in the Middle East in August.
What's next:
Sixty-four new fathers who will meet their babies for the first time were to be among the first to depart the Lincoln, Navy officials said.
Sailor Kathy Monterrosa, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, held her six-month-old daughter, Sarahi, outfitted in a tiny blue and white sailor dress, as she waited for the Lincoln to bring her husband home.
"She’s our deployment baby," Monterrosa told the AP. "We are different people now; we are parents now. We definitely matured from the last time we saw each other."
Monterrosa said she was "crying a lot and worried" about him during the deployment.
Meanwhile, Alma Solano Velez said her husband gave his family an extensive list of the foods he has been craving over the past 10 months. The list included oxtail, barbecue chicken, broccoli and shrimp empanadas. Velez said he told her about a "lack of food and showers" and was looking forward to seeing her daughter, who celebrated her fourth birthday while he was aboard the ship.
The Source: Information in this story came from the Associated Press, Getty Images, the defense department, and previous FOX News reporting. This story was reported from Orlando.