USS Abraham Lincoln returns to San Diego after nearly 11 months away
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln came home to San Diego on Thursday after 321 days away, including combat against Iran. Thousands of families greeted its crew of about 5,000. The ship set a Navy record for straight days at sea, a stretch marked by food shortages, low morale and eight suicide attempts in its group.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is home. The aircraft carrier pulled into Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado on Thursday afternoon, ending a deployment of 321 days, USNI News reported.
Thousands of family members, many from across the country, waited in the sun to greet the crew of about 5,000. Sailors in dress whites lined the rails as the ship moved through San Diego Bay. Officials aboard said 67 crew members were fathers meeting new babies for the first time, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
The Lincoln left San Diego on Nov. 21, 2025, for the Pacific. It was sent to the Middle East in January. It took part in the first strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 and later in a blockade of Iranian ports. It was due home in May, but its deployment was extended twice.
The ship also went months without a port call. That broke the Navy's record for straight days at sea, set by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower at 206 days in 2020.
The long trip took a toll. Families and lawmakers raised concerns about food supplies and mental health. The acting Navy secretary reported eight suicide attempts in the strike group. The ship's captain, Capt. Daniel Keeler, said there were early supply problems but never any missed meals. Rep. Sara Jacobs, a San Diego Democrat who visited the ship, said sailors told her of rationed food and no hot water.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew to the ship on Wednesday and gave the strike group a Presidential Unit Citation, a top honor for valor in combat. He told sailors he had signed both extensions, Vanity Fair reported. "I plead guilty," he said, adding that the mission required it.
The homecoming had its own trouble. Vanity Fair reported long lines and handwritten passes at a swamped base visitor center.
The Lincoln will stay in San Diego for about two months. Then it heads to Bremerton, Wash., for about 18 months of repairs and upgrades in dry dock.
What we know: The Lincoln and its crew are home after one of the longest carrier deployments in decades.
What we don't: How the long deployment will affect the ship's hull and the Navy's carrier schedule.
Where outlets agree USNI News and The San Diego Union-Tribune both report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew to the Lincoln on Wednesday and awarded its strike group the Presidential Unit Citation.
Where they differ USNI News reports the Lincoln went 265 straight days at sea without a port call, while The San Diego Union-Tribune puts the streak at 264 days.