After 250 days at sea, USS Abraham Lincoln to dock in Thailand

The 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln are soon expected to step on land for the first time in almost nine months, according to an Asian news outlet. The aircraft carrier may be scheduled to dock in Thailand as early as next month for a routine, non-military port call, a local Thai publication, Khaosod, reported Tuesday. The U.S. Navy declined to share the exact timeline of the ship’s return to the United States with WORLD, citing a security concern.

Military news outlet Stars and Stripes said that aircraft carrier crew members normally get port visits every 30 to 45 days, not every 250. Crew members aboard the Lincoln reported worsening conditions on the ship to relatives, including poor food and diminished supplies, according to the outlet. Stars and Stripes also reported multiple service members attempting to jump overboard. Family members of sailors received reports of widespread exhaustion and poor living conditions aboard the ship.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier left port in San Diego on Nov. 21, 2025, and made one port stop in Guam in mid-December, according to the U.S. Navy. The Abraham Lincoln is the nation’s fifth Nimitz-class carrier, which are the largest warships in the world, the Navy said. The top Democrat in the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., called the more than 250 days of uninterrupted time at sea record-setting, and reported that after its almost nine-month extended deployment, the ship was scheduled to return to its home port sometime in the coming weeks.

How has the Navy responded? The Navy told WORLD that it had not observed an increase in suicidal ideation or attempts aboard the ship. Adapting to life at sea could be difficult, so the Navy provided the best possible resources to its sailors to aid in that transition, it added. The USS Abraham Lincoln has five Navy chaplains and three behavioral health technicians to support crew morale and emotional welfare, the Navy shared with WORLD. The ship also has a clinical psychologist, a clinical social worker, a counselor, and a ship’s dog named Capt. Fathom to help keep spirits up onboard the carrier, the Navy said. All of those resources were available to sailors and Marines throughout the Strike Group 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the Navy said. The Navy declined to comment on the other conditions onboard the Abraham Lincoln. WORLD also reached out to the Royal Thai Navy. This story will be updated with any response received.