USS Abraham Lincoln's 265 days without a port call: what to know

What did the USS Abraham Lincoln do during its deployment?

The Lincoln left San Diego on Nov. 21, 2025, initially assigned to the Indo-Pacific. After a stop in Guam, the carrier group was redirected to the Middle East and joined the U.S. 5th Fleet on Jan. 26, 2026, spending most of its deployment in the region, USNI News reported.

U.S. and Israeli forces began airstrikes against Iran on Feb. 28. The Lincoln’s strike group supported Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. campaign against Iran, as well as a U.S. blockade against Iranian ports and coastline. The carrier had deployed more than three months before the airstrikes began.

The strike group left the Middle East on Aug. 22, after the USS George Washington relieved the Lincoln there. In September, it arrived in Thailand after 265 consecutive days at sea, then stopped in Guam for logistics before continuing to San Diego.

The award account cited the group’s combat activity, including 1.37 million pounds of ordnance and 450 Tomahawk cruise missiles. It also listed 77 one-way attack drones, 64 Iranian ships and 21 anti-ship cruise missiles among its figures. These are figures in the account of the award, not an independent tally of battlefield results.

Hegseth praised the crew’s performance and resilience at the ceremony and pushed back against portrayals of the carrier as dysfunctional or its mission as a failure. The Associated Press report described the Presidential Unit Citation as the highest honor a unit can receive, generally reserved for significant combat achievement.

What did the deployment mean for sailors and their families?

The Navy’s figure of eight suicide attempts covers the carrier strike group, not just the Lincoln. CBS News reported that the count included sailors serving on the carrier, its air wing and escort destroyers, and that no suicides took place aboard the carrier.

Navy officials told lawmakers that personnel had access to counselors, chaplains and other support, CBS reported. The attempts occurred during a deployment that kept the carrier at sea for an unprecedented consecutive stretch without a port call.

Family and friends gathered in San Diego for the ship’s arrival. The Associated Press reported that relatives had worried about food shortages and difficult conditions aboard during the deployment.

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said the ship maintained adequate food supplies, but that meal choices temporarily narrowed from two options to one because combat operations limited resupply opportunities. He said the crew continued to receive four nutritionally balanced meals daily. Navy officials also said delayed shipments led them to prioritize hygiene supplies.

The accounts describe different parts of the deployment: the Navy’s explanation of reduced meal choices and supply delays, and the concern relatives expressed while waiting for the carrier. Sailors began disembarking after the ship reached San Diego, ending the carrier’s months away from its home port.

How long was the deployment, and are all the ships home?

The 321-day deployment and the 265-day stretch without a port call measure different periods. USNI News reported that the Lincoln’s deployment departed from the Navy’s Optimized Fleet Response Plan, a 36-month schedule covering maintenance, training and deployment. The carrier’s 265 consecutive days at sea exceeded a previous 206-day no-port-call record, the outlet reported.

The Lincoln had returned in December 2024 from a 162-day deployment and took part in exercises in 2025 before leaving San Diego again that November. Its overall deployment was not the longest cited in the reporting: the USS Gerald R. Ford returned in May 2026 after 326 days deployed.

The Lincoln’s return also did not bring every ship in its strike group back to San Diego. USNI News reported that the USS Michael Murphy remained in the Arabian Sea and the USS Spruance was in the Indian Ocean on Thursday, the day the carrier arrived home.