Pride of Trump’s Navy Finally Limps Home After Deployment From Hell

An American aircraft carrier caught up in Donald Trump’s war on Iran is finally heading home after a brutal nine-month deployment that saw conditions aboard deteriorate dangerously.

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The USS Abraham Lincoln is heading back to its home port of San Diego after being replaced by the Japan-based USS George Washington, a U.S. official told The New York Times. The ship’s departure comes weeks after concerns were raised about the welfare of the crew of about 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard.

The Abraham Lincoln left San Diego on Nov. 21 last year and has spent almost all of the 272 days since at sea, making only brief stops in Guam in December and in Oman to replenish supplies, according to the Times.

The ship was close to breaking a record for the longest trip for a U.S. carrier away from its home port since the Vietnam War. The USS Gerald R. Ford broke that record—it was on deployment for 326 days before returning home in mid-May.

Family members of sailors aboard the Abraham Lincoln have spoken out about the gross conditions on the aircraft carrier, whose deployment was originally expected to last seven months before being extended. Conditions reportedly deteriorated after Iran destroyed a U.S. Navy base in Manama, Bahrain, which had served as a vital supply hub for American forces in the region.

Sailors have reportedly been forced to wash in moldy showers, ration their meals and necessities such as soap, toothpaste, and deodorant, while many are working to the point of exhaustion, with some experiencing deteriorating mental health.

Bonnie York, whose stepson is aboard the vessel, previously told MS NOW she had been informed that a doctor or therapist on the ship had warned that the crew needed to reach port before they started “losing their minds.”

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Reports have emerged of apparent suicide attempts aboard the carrier.

One sailor who went overboard was in the water for about an hour before he was rescued. He had sent a text message to his wife earlier saying that the boat “is finally getting to me” and “I really don’t think I can keep up my peace act anymore,” MS NOW reported.

The sailor continued: “You are right about it all not being OK. We were supposed to leave 5th Fleet on July 15th, but then something had to come up, and my last hope of being home soon was gone.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has come under fire for allegedly brushing off reports of the dire conditions aboard the aircraft carrier. He told reporters in Panama on Aug. 13 that the reports “completely misrepresented” reality.

“I want them home as soon as everybody else, too. I want folks rotated as quickly as possible. I want the best for them. My commanders know that, our service secretaries know that, the president expects that, and so to that crew and all crews: We’re going to do everything we can for you, and we are so grateful for that crew and others,” Hegseth said.

The Times reported that the Navy will maintain a presence of approximately 20 warships in the Middle East, operating outside the Persian Gulf. The USS George Washington arrived in the Middle East and began operating under Central Command’s control Wednesday, according to the command.

The Abraham Lincoln’s roughly 13,000-mile journey back to San Diego is expected to take four to five weeks, according to the Times.

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The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.