US Navy Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln To Dock In Thailand After Record 200 Days At Sea

The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is expected to dock in Thailand next week after spending more than 200 days at sea without a port call, a Thai official said on Aug. 25.

The carrier, which has about 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard, left the Middle East on Aug. 22 after an extended deployment that included supporting US military operations during the war involving Iran.

The planned stop in Thailand will allow the crew to take a break after months at sea.

The ship will be in Thailand for “rest and recreation after their long sea journey,” the Thai official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Thailand’s Navy also said a US Navy carrier strike group would make a short stop in eastern Thailand for rest and recovery. No military exercises are planned during the visit.

The navy did not name the three vessels in the group or give the date of the visit, citing security concerns. The exact location was also not known, although US carriers usually stop at Sattahip in Chon Buri.

The US Navy declined to confirm the visit because of operational security.

Lincoln’s Long Deployment

The deployment has now lasted more than nine months.

The carrier’s only previous port call was in Guam in mid-December. Democratic lawmakers said the ship had spent more than 200 consecutive days at sea without another port visit, setting a modern-day record.

US Navy deployments usually last between six and nine months, although they can be extended during periods of conflict.

The first reports of the Thailand visit came from messages sent by crew members to their families and later shared with USA Today.

Reports About Conditions on Board

The long deployment has also raised concerns about conditions aboard the carrier.

Media reports in August raised concerns about suicide attempts and declining morale among the crew.

Fifteen US senators later asked Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth for answers over reports of food and water shortages, broken plumbing, exhaustion and mental health problems. The reports also included allegations that several sailors had attempted to go overboard.

Hegseth rejected the reports, saying they had “completely misrepresented” conditions aboard the ship.

President Donald Trump also faced criticism from military families after saying the deployment was “not nearly long enough.”

Sailor’s Father Detained

The carrier has also received attention because of an immigration case involving the father of one of its sailors.

Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, originally from Nicaragua, was arrested by US Border Patrol in Key West, Florida, and remains in federal immigration detention, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

His son, Joshua Aviles, is deployed aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. In a Facebook post, he said he had been at sea for more than nine months and was struggling with the news of his father’s detention.

DHS said Luis Manuel Aviles Roa had entered the United States illegally and would remain in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention while removal proceedings continue.

Thailand is the United States’ only treaty partner in mainland Southeast Asia. The two countries have been treaty allies since 1954, and Thailand became a major non-NATO ally of the United States in 2003.

References: Reuters, Times Now