The USS Abraham Lincoln is on its way back home following an extended nine-month deployment, a U.S. official told NBC News on Thursday.
The U.S. official said that the ship has been sailing for a few days and is expected to arrive back in San Diego in a few weeks.
With the Lincoln’s departure from the Middle East, where it was supporting the U.S. war against Iran, the USS George Washington arrived in the region Wednesday to begin a deployment, according to U.S. Central Command.
CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal on Sunday that he visited the crew of the Lincoln on Saturday to announce their return home.
“I delivered the words every deployed sailor and Marine longs to hear: ‘You have delivered a performance for the ages, and now you are going home,’” Cooper wrote.
The Lincoln, which has been at sea for more than 250 days, has 5,000 sailors and Marines on board. The deployment has been marred by reports of deteriorating conditions.
Family members of those onboard have told NBC News that conditions have been grim, citing a lack of supplies and food and a rising concern for worsening mental health as multiple sailors have reportedly attempted to jump overboard.
Cooper downplayed concerns about the ship’s conditions in the op-ed.
“I chatted with junior enlisted personnel and junior officers in small groups. Issues related to food, hot water and other concerns raised months ago were addressed by leadership and resolved,” Cooper wrote, adding “The crew is tired, but they continue to fire on all cylinders.”
In a social media post on Sunday, Cooper wrote that of the U.S. Navy’s 11 active aircraft carriers, the Lincoln “currently has among the lowest number of cases related to mental health.”
Cooper’s account follows comments from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week that reports about the situation aboard the Lincoln have been “completely misrepresented.” President Donald Trump last week also dismissed concerns, telling reporters Friday that the deployment was “not nearly long enough.”
The Lincoln left San Diego on Nov. 21 and its deployment was planned to end in May. It was extended as the U.S. remained embroiled in the war against Iran, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on the country at the end of February. While the ship has been deployed for nine months, a typical deployment for a carrier is roughly six to seven months.
Carriers also usually make regular stops at ports to refresh and replenish food supplies during those deployments. The Lincoln hasn’t visited a port since December, according to a U.S. official, marking over 200 days consecutively at sea.
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