USS Abraham Lincoln Returns to San Diego After 321-Day Deployment
The USS Abraham Lincoln returned to San Diego after a 321-day deployment, marking an emotional homecoming for its 5,000 sailors.
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After a 321-day deployment, the USS Abraham Lincoln returned to San Diego, bringing its 5,000 sailors back to their families in an emotional homecoming at the Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, California.
As the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3 during Operation Epic Fury, the Lincoln’s deployment was the second-longest since the Vietnam War, surpassed only by the USS Gerald R. Ford’s record 326-day deployment. The aircraft carrier glided past the San Diego cityscape on Thursday afternoon, greeted by cheering families and friends waving cowbells, balloons, and flowers.
Some families traveled long distances to welcome the ship home, with a few even camping out on Shelter Island for a view of its arrival into the bay. Among the first to step ashore were 64 new fathers eager to meet their babies for the first time, according to the Navy.
The carrier’s mission, which included a prolonged operation against Iran, drew national attention amid reports of mental health concerns and severe shortages of food and hygiene supplies. The Lincoln spent over 260 consecutive days without a port call, according to War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Despite these challenges, Hegseth rejected reports that conditions on the Lincoln were worsening, calling the allegations an attempt to turn the ship into a “symbol of dysfunction or low morale.” During his visit to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, he also awarded the Lincoln’s crew the Presidential United Citation, the highest honor a unit can receive.
The Lincoln executed 3,693 combat missions, launched 450 Tomahawk cruise missiles, shot down 77 one-way attack drones, sank 64 Iranian warships, and destroyed 21 anti-ship cruise missiles, according to Hegseth.
Source: OANN
