US carrier arrives in Thailand after months at sea
The USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier belonging to the United States Navy, docked in Thailand's Laem Chabang port on Wednesday, marking its first port visit in over eight months. This arrival ends an extensive deployment in the West Asia region, a period commonly recognized as a record in modern naval history.
The carrier, measuring 100,000 tons, docked at the port to address concerns about its crew's welfare and morale. The hull exhibited signs of rust due to the prolonged deployment. Originally set to return to San Diego, California, the USS Abraham Lincoln was reassigned to West Asia upon the eruption of hostilities with Iran in February.
The extended deployment, which lasted more than 200 days without a port call, raised concerns about the crew's mental health and quality of life. Reports indicated supply shortages and at least one possible suicide attempt among the crew of approximately 5,000 members. US Senator Richard Blumenthal highlighted the record-breaking duration of the deployment in his remarks.
US Defence authorities, however, disputed these claims, describing media reports as misconstrued and dishonest. They maintained that conditions on the ship remained intact and that the crew's welfare was a top priority. US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper inspected the vessel and praised the crew's resilience, noting that the ship recorded the lowest number of documented mental health cases among the US Navy's active aircraft carriers.
The USS Abraham Lincoln will depart Thailand and proceed to San Diego, California, taking approximately three weeks for the journey.
Written by urgent.news from The Economic Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
