New photos have offered a look at the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier after it docked in eastern Thailand on Wednesday, following weeks of concerns over vital supplies and reports of deteriorating mental health aboard the vessel. Images of the carrier approaching land appeared to show rust and worn-off paint on the exterior of the carrier, but no obvious conflict damage. "Though the wear and tear looks extensive, that a ship commissioned in 1989 was able to operate for such a prolonged period of time without facing issues is testament to the U.S.
Navy's ability to put ships through their operational paces when the need arises," said William Freer, a research fellow in national security at the U.K.-based Council on Geostrategy think tank. Navy ships are frequently taking on longer deployments as the service is stretched by commitments and operations around the globe. This follows years of delays in American shipyards tasked with churning out new vessels, as well as ballooning costs of new ships and a shortage of skilled workers to carry out construction and maintenance.
Left unchecked, rust spreading on a warship can damage its all-important watertight seals, and force it into one of these shipyards for repairs, Freer told Newsweek. The Lincoln docked in the coastal city of Pattaya on Wednesday, finally reaching port after a record-setting continuous at-sea deployment and months of floating around the Middle East in support of the U.S.'s war with Iran. The carrier lasted more than 200 days without a port call after it was rerouted from the South China Sea to the Middle East in January.
Other warships travelling with the carrier pulled in at nearby ports, U.S. officials said. "What this strike group has accomplished is truly historic," said Rear Admiral Robert Loughran, the commander of Carrier Strike Group 3, which includes the Lincoln carrier. But the Lincoln has been trailed for weeks by reports of basic hygiene and food supplies running out, mold creeping up the showers, broken toilets, missing mail and nosediving morale.
Family members of crew aboard the Lincoln said multiple service members had attempted to jump overboard as the mental health of those on the ship declined. Navy said one person had gone overboard from the ship at the start of August, but said the crew member had been swiftly rescued. The service denied it had found evidence of a mental health crisis on the Lincoln and said it was committed to safeguarding each service member.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth played down the reports, saying the reality on the vessel had been "completely misrepresented." President Donald Trump said the deployment was "not nearly long enough." Most carrier deployments are between six and seven months, although they can be drawn out under certain circumstances. There will typically be port calls throughout this period to refuel and allow crew members to rest. The Lincoln has been deployed for more than nine months, with a brief port call in Guam in December.
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