Crew members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln finally have a port call scheduled, according to texts sent to family members and shared with USA TODAY.
The Lincoln has a planned stop in Thailand in early September, the texts say. The aircraft carrier is sailing home after an extended, record-setting deployment in the Middle East amid the U.S. war in Iran.
Navy spokesperson Christopher Thomas told USA TODAY the Navy does not "speak to future ship movements due to operational security." He directed any additional inquiries to the U.S. Pacific Fleet, whose spokespeople didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The ship began its journey home after U.S. Central Command,
which oversees military action in the Middle East, announced that the USS George Washington had arrived in the Arabian Sea.
The aircraft carrier made headlines after Democrats in Congress and family members of the service members raised the alarm about conditions on the ship, citing concerns about the crew members' mental health and reports of a sailor who'd jumped overboard. They also told relatives about cold showers, clogged toilets and inadequate supplies.
USA TODAY spoke with family members who also expressed frustration about the lack of clear timelines for when their relatives would return. They said they were incensed by President Donald Trump's comments on August 14 when he said families weren't concerned about the conditions on the ship and that, in his view, the deployment had not gone on nearly long enough.
USA TODAY reported in April on conditions aboard the Lincoln and the USS Tripoli, also deployed to the Middle East. A photo shared with a USA TODAY reporter showed a small handful of boiled carrots, a dry meat patty and a slab of gray processed meat from a meal on the Lincoln.
How long has the USS Lincoln been at sea?
The USS Lincoln left port in San Diego on Nov. 21, 2025. The crew expected a six-month deployment. The aircraft carrier only made one port stop in Guam in mid-December, according to the Navy.
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said the ship is expected back at its home port within weeks after “a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea.”
When will the USS Lincoln arrive in the US?
When asked about a return date and location, a U.S. official told USA TODAY that they "do not discuss ship schedules to protect operational security."
A USA TODAY analysis of the journey length and ship speed, which included a review of similar journeys, found the ship would likely make it back to mainland U.S. soil in four to five weeks if there weren't any unexpected changes in the journey.
Where will the USS Lincoln land?
The military declined to provide USA TODAY with specific details on the route or timing, which is standard in such situations. After it returns to San Diego, the USS Lincoln will likely find a new home at Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Washington,according to the Kitsap Sun, part of the USA TODAY Network.
What is the significance of the USS George Washington deployment?
The USS George Washington is a Japan-based U.S. aircraft carrier, the same type of Nimitz-class carrier as the USS Lincoln, according to its Naval website profile.
"The largest warships in the world, Nimitz-class aircraft carriers support and operate aircraft that engage in attacks on airborne, afloat, and ashore targets that threaten free use of the sea and engage in sustained power projection operations in support of U.S. and coalition forces," the site explains.
The USS George Washington left a port in Vietnam earlier in August, according to the ship's Facebook page, which highlights some of the action aboard the ship and provides details about its operations. The site says that there are 5000 sailors on board, and within the last week, the ship celebrated its 200,000th arrest landing in its 34 years.
Contributing: Bart Jansen, Joey Garrison
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USS Abraham Lincoln headed for port in Thailand after 250 days at sea
