USS Abraham Lincoln Returns Home After Historic Deployment
After spending 321 days at sea, roughly 5,000 sailors from the USS Abraham Lincoln enjoyed an emotional reunion with family and friends as they docked at the Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, California. This remarkable homecoming marked the end of a deployment that has been described as the second-longest in U.S. Navy history since the Vietnam War, only outdone by the USS Gerald R. Ford‘s 326-day mission.
On that Thursday afternoon, sailors stood along the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln as it cruised past the San Diego skyline. Families welcomed them back with excited cheers, ringing cowbells, and holding colorful balloons and flowers. Some loved ones even traveled great distances—reportedly camping out at Shelter Island to catch a glimpse of the carrier’s return.
Among the very first to disembark at the naval base were 64 new fathers, eager to meet their babies for the first time, as noted by the Navy.
The carrier’s deployment received significant national attention, raising concerns over the mental well-being of the crew and shortages of essentials like food and hygiene supplies during its lengthy absence from port calls. It’s worth noting that the carrier remained at sea for more than 260 continuous days, according to War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Despite these troubling reports, Hegseth dismissed claims of deteriorating conditions on the USS Lincoln during a visit to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. He suggested that such allegations were attempts to portray the ship as a, well, symbol of dysfunction or failure.
“It’s an effort to turn the Lincoln into some sort of a symbol, a symbol of dysfunction or a symbol of low morale or a symbol of a failed mission,” he said.
At that same event, Hegseth honored the crew with the Presidential Unit Citation, which is the highest award a unit can earn. During its deployment, the Lincoln completed an astonishing 3,693 combat missions, launched 450 Tomahawk cruise missiles, downed 77 one-way attack drones, sank 64 Iranian warships, and eliminated 21 anti-ship cruise missiles.
In a tweet shared by One America News, it was noted that the USS Abraham Lincoln returned to San Diego after breaking records with 265 consecutive days at sea, while also supporting U.S. military operations in the Middle East.
