Lincoln Limping Home: Grueling Iran War Deployment Ends for U.S. Carrier

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is returning to San Diego after a roughly nine-month deployment tied to the Trump administration’s Iran conflict, having spent about 272 days at sea and been replaced by the USS George Washington. Crew of roughly 5,000 faced deteriorating conditions—moldy showers, shortages of food and essentials, and mounting mental-health strain—with reports of suicide attempts; Democrats are demanding accountability while the Navy says conditions remain under management. The Lincoln’s voyage covers about 13,000 miles and is expected to take four to five weeks more, prompting scrutiny over whether such deployments can be sustained at this tempo.