USS Abraham Lincoln Heads Home After 272 Days: Ship Deployment Timeline

As its replacement arrived in the Middle East to take over operations against the backdrop of America's ongoing war with Iran, the USS Abraham Lincoln is due to return home to California, it was documented Thursday.

Key points

• The Fifth Fleet is responsible for a vast region that includes the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea and parts of the Red Sea.
• President Donald Trump and his Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth both sought to downplay the claims regarding the conditions aboard the Lincoln.
• As the ship surpassed 265 days at sea, speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday, the president was asked regarding the worries.
• Open-source tracking and military updates indicated the Lincoln was moving west through the Strait of Malacca, the narrow maritime chokepoint between the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
• Official confirmed to The New York Times that the Lincoln had begun its journey home.

By Dan Gooding Associate News Editor. Newsweek is a Trust Project member.

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In a post to X on Thursday morning, U.S. Central Command remarked the USS George Washington was in the Arabian Sea. The arrival means the Lincoln can return to San Diego after over nine months at sea that culminated in wide-ranging reservations concerning conditions and supplies on board.

Notably, a U.S. Official confirmed to The New York Times that the Lincoln had begun its journey home. An official return date was not immediately clear.

Newsweek reached out to the Navy for comment via email Thursday afternoon. Weeks of Mounting Reservations Concerning the Lincoln.

Reports emerged in recent weeks from parents, spouses and friends of those on board the Lincoln that the crew was facing increasingly dire conditions, including moldy showers, poor food quality and a lack of basic necessities such as soap and razors.

On Friday, Newsweek spoke with the wife of a higher-ranking officer on board the vessel. This person detailed how spouses had been trying to send care packages to the crew after reports of supplies running low and food deteriorating in the spring.

"Well, the care package took 2 1/2 months to obtain there. So that was concerning, " Ashley Rogers remarked in a phone interview. "Now the most recent communications, even with my husband, who snaps into military mode, he just does his job, even he sounds so just defeated, and he has a really hard time getting his guys to cooperate and do their jobs."

Mental well-being additionally became a concern, with reports that some sailors had attempted-and even succeeded-in jumping overboard. The U.S. Navy pushed back on these claims.

"Based on information available to the command, we have not identified an increase in reported suicidal ideation or suicide attempts aboard the ship, " a Navy spokesperson remarked August 12. "We take every service member's well-being seriously and have religious, medical and mental health professionals available to assess and address concerns as they arise."

"No, they're not, " Trump remarked concerning families raising reservations. When asked if the deployment had gone on too long, Trump remarked, "No, no, no. Not almost long enough."

Meanwhile, a day earlier, Hegseth remarked to journalists the situation had been "completely misrepresented, " adding that "some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody."

Rogers informed Newsweek that afternoon that the comments were "selfish" and "disconnected from reality."

Lawmakers additionally responded, expressing their dismay at what the president had stated. California Democratic Representative Mike Levin. This person had repeatedly triggered concern over the week, took to X, writing, "Respectfully, Mr. President, I'd like to see you survive a week on that ship."

For context, the Lincoln, which once displayed the "Mission Accomplished" banner during President George W. Bush's May 2003 speech six weeks into the Iraq invasion, left its home base of San Diego on November 21 for a deployment initially focused on the Indo-Pacific.

Meanwhile, the carrier strike group spent its early months operating in the Pacific, and by early January, the Navy had published imagery showing the vessel conducting live-fire exercises in the South China Sea, one of the world's most strategically contested waterways.

Within weeks, nevertheless, the carrier's trajectory changed. Open-source tracking and military updates indicated the Lincoln was moving west through the Strait of Malacca, the narrow maritime chokepoint between the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Notably, the shift coincided with a broader U.S. Military buildup in the Middle East as tensions with Iran escalated. By the end of January, the carrier had passed under the authority of U.S. Central Command, signaling its transition from a Pacific-focused mission to operations tied to Washington's growing military posture in the region.

As the conflict with Iran intensified, U.S. Military statements increasingly placed the Lincoln within the U.S. Fifth Fleet's area of operations.

Notably, the Fifth Fleet is responsible for a vast region that includes the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea and parts of the Red Sea. While the Navy does not disclose the precise locations of deployed warships, the carrier's presence became a key part of America's naval force in the Middle East as the conflict continued.

More than eight months after leaving California, the Lincoln remained deployed in the Fifth Fleet area.

While extra images published in early August depicted fighter aircraft recovering aboard the ship, military photographs published at the end of July demonstrated the carrier still operating in the region.

Meanwhile, the Lincoln' s return to the U.S. Will probable bring relief for both its crew and the family members who have spoken out concerning their worries.

U.S. Authorities have sought to praise the aircraft carrier's sailors and officers, with the commander of U.S. Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, saying in an official note shared to X Sunday that his time aboard on Saturday had been "awe-inspiring."

"I wish every American could see the crew in action. You would beam with absolute pride when witnessing their camaraderie, teamwork and resilience, " Cooper remarked.

"Here's an significant fact: Of the U.S. Navy's 11 active aircraft carriers, the Lincoln at present has among the lowest number of cases related to mental health."

Cooper continued that he knew not all was perfect, and that lengthy deployments were challenging and tough. He additionally stated mental health required attention from leadership.

"I applaud Lincoln's leadership – the senior enlisted leaders in the Chief Petty Officers Mess in particular – for stepping up and making mental health and crew resilience a leadership priority, " Cooper remarked.

"To all our Sailors and Marines aboard the ship, keep up the great work and fair winds and following seas on the journey home."

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Edward T. Cummins.

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