USS Lincoln returns home to San Diego Bay after 265 days deployment

The USS Abraham Lincoln returned to San Diego Bay Thursday after 265 uninterrupted days at sea, a record for days between ports of call. The carrier deployed in November and arrived in the Middle East in January to support the war against Iran; U.S. and Israeli forces launched airstrikes against Iran on Feb. 28. It is the second carrier to endure an unusually long deployment for that mission and to receive the Presidential Unit Citation afterward.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew to the carrier Wednesday to award the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest honor a unit can receive for significant achievement in combat. Hegseth pushed back against what he called efforts to turn the "Lincoln into some sort of a symbol, a symbol of dysfunction or a symbol of low morale or a symbol of a failed mission," telling the crew that their resilience and ability to adapt allowed them to finish the mission nonetheless.

The deployment drew national attention following reports of stress, poor mental health, and supply shortages including food and hygiene products. The Navy initially downplayed problems, and President Donald Trump commented in August that the deployment was "not nearly long enough." Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao later acknowledged meal options were reduced from two to one for a short time because combat operations limited resupply, but said four nutritionally balanced meals were served daily. The crew received a port call in Thailand early last month on the return transit.

Families waited hours at Naval Base Coronado for the ship's arrival. Among the first to disembark were 64 fathers meeting their babies for the first time. Sailor Kathy Monterrosa of Virginia Beach waited with her six-month-old daughter, Sarahi, calling her their "deployment baby." Monterrosa said hearing about conditions while pregnant was tough: "I was crying a lot and worried. I wasn't sure if he was OK or not." When she finally heard from her husband, he told her it was "pretty bad."

Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal