dpAug. 24, 2026Updated Aug. 25, 2026, 10:42 a.m. ET
Crew members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln finally have a port call scheduled, according to texts sent to family members and shared with USA TODAY.
The Lincoln has a planned stop in Thailand in early September, the texts say. The aircraft carrier is sailing home after an extended, record-setting deployment in the Middle East amid the U.S. war in Iran.
In an Aug. 18 text exchange shared with USA TODAY, a sailor on the Lincoln asked her relative to send recommendations for a couple of hotels in Thailand. In a separate text exchange, a relative told her family member she was excited for him because he had always talked about going to Thailand.
Spokespeople told USA TODAY the Navy does not comment on future operations or ship movements because of operational security.
The ship began its journey home after the U.S. Central Command, which oversees military action in the Middle East, announced that the USS George Washington had arrived in the Arabian Sea.
The aircraft carrier made headlines after Democrats in Congress and family members of service members raised concerns about conditions on the ship, citing crew members’ mental health and reports of a sailor who had jumped overboard. They also told relatives about cold showers, clogged toilets and inadequate supplies.
USA TODAY spoke with family members who also expressed frustration about the lack of clear timelines for when their loved ones would return. They said they were incensed by President Donald Trump’s comments Aug. 14 when he said that families weren’t concerned about the conditions on the ship and that, in his view, the deployment had not gone on nearly long enough.
USA TODAY reported in April on conditions aboard the Lincoln and the USS Tripoli, also deployed to the Middle East. A photo shared with a USA TODAY reporter showed a small handful of boiled carrots, a dry meat patty and a slab of gray processed meat from a meal on the Lincoln.
How long has the USS Lincoln been at sea?
The Lincoln left port in San Diego on Nov. 21, 2025. The crew expected a six-month deployment. The aircraft carrier made one port stop in Guam in mid-December, according to the Navy. The carrier has since been at sea for more than 250 consecutive days in its nine-month deployment, a record-breaking stint for a carrier without a port stop, according to a review of the lone port-stop announcements.
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said the ship is expected back at its home port within weeks after “a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea.”
When will the Lincoln arrive in the U.S.?
A USA TODAY analysis of the journey length and ship speed, which included a review of similar journeys, found the ship probably would arrive at the U.S. mainland in four to five weeks if no unexpected changes were made in the journey.
Where will the Lincoln go next?
The military declined to provide USA TODAY with details on the route or timing, which is standard in such situations. After it returns to San Diego, the Lincoln will probably find a new home at Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Washington, according to the Kitsap Sun, part of the USA TODAY Network.
What is the significance of the USS George Washington’s deployment?
The George Washington is a Japan-based aircraft carrier, the same type of Nimitz-class carrier as the USS Lincoln, according to its naval website profile.
“The largest warships in the world, Nimitz-class aircraft carriers support and operate aircraft that engage in attacks on airborne, afloat, and ashore targets that threaten free use of the sea and engage in sustained power projection operations in support of U.S. and coalition forces,” the site says.
The George Washington left a port in Vietnam earlier in August, according to the ship’s Facebook page, which highlights some action aboard the ship and details about its operations. The site says there are 5,000 sailors on board, and in the past week, the ship celebrated its 200,000th arrest landing in its 34 years. An arrest landing is a common maneuver carriers use to land returning aircraft.
Contributing: Bart Jansen and Joey Garrison
