The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) docked at Laem Chabang, Thailand, on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, for its first full port visit since deploying in November 2025 — a stretch the Navy puts at 286 days at sea after nearly seven months of combat operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

According to a U.S. Navy / DVIDS release, Carrier Strike Group 3, Carrier Air Wing 9, and Destroyer Squadron 21 arrived with the Lincoln, while the destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) put into nearby Sriracha and the cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG 62) into Map Ta Phut. About 5,000 sailors and Marines are aboard the carrier. Rear Adm. Robert E. Loughran called the stop a chance for the crew to "rest and recharge" and a signal of the U.S.-Thailand alliance.

Associated Press reporters watched the ship enter Laem Chabang and noted heavy rust above the waterline and along the flight-deck edge. Capt. Dan Keeler, the commanding officer, said that appearance is "normal for a long deployment" and declined further comment. Asked about President Donald Trump's remark that the deployment was "not nearly long enough," Keeler replied that the president "speaks for himself."

The Lincoln spent months supporting U.S. operations against Iran — including combat under Operation Epic Fury and blockade enforcement — before the Asia-based USS George Washington relieved it in the Middle East in August. Thai officials framed the visit as logistics and crew rest before the strike group heads home; shore leave in nearby Pattaya is expected through early September. Reports of supply shortfalls and crew stress had drawn congressional attention in recent weeks. A long war at sea is still a long war for the people who have to live on the ship.

Sources