--- title: "USS Abraham Lincoln Looks Like It’s Been Through Hell After 286 Days At Sea" description: "We got our first good look at the Lincoln as it pulled into port in Thailand for its only liberty call of its entire cruise and after sustaining high-tempo combat ops for months." date: "2026-09-02" modified: "2026-09-02" authors: - name: "Joseph Trevithick" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/joseph-trevithick" url: "https://www.twz.com/sea/uss-abraham-lincoln-looks-like-its-been-through-hell-after-286-days-at-sea" categories: - "Around The Globe" - "Carriers" - "Indo-Pacific" - "Middle East" - "News & Features" - "Nimitz Class" - "Sea" - "USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)" --- # USS Abraham Lincoln Looks Like It’s Been Through Hell After 286 Days At Sea ![The U.S. Navy's supercarrier USS Abraham Lincoln is now in Thailand after 286 days at sea, looking very much worse for wear.]() *ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP via Getty Images* The U.S. Navy's [supercarrier USS *Abraham Lincoln*]() is now in Thailand for a much-deserved and highly publicized liberty port call. The carrier had gone 286 days without making such a stop, with much of that time [spent executing grueling combat operations against Iran](). The ship has been run *very* hard, relying on[ at times a rickety conveyor of sea replenishments]() to continue operating for months on end, and it has the scars to show for it. The *Lincoln* looks very much worse for wear, with [so-called “running rust”]() and algae caked all along the sides of the hull, as well as around the edges of the flight deck and sponsons on either side. It's something of a startling appearance for one of the most powerful ships on the planet and a major symbol of U.S. power projection, but it is also a reminder of what the vessel and its crew have endured for months on end. The *Lincoln* [arrived in the Thai port of Laem Chabang]() earlier today. The carrier did make a stop in Guam in December 2025 and reportedly made another one somewhere in the Middle East in July. However, in both cases, these have been characterized as brief logistical stopovers that did not offer any real opportunity for personnel onboard to disembark. [Thai media reports say]() the carrier is expected to remain in Laem Chabang through the end of the weekend. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WolnJ1z5Tys “Our arrival in Laem Chabang provides a well-deserved opportunity for our Sailors and Marines to rest and recharge. It also underscores the strong and enduring partnership and alliance between the United States and Thailand,” Rear Adm. Robert E. Loughran, commander of Carrier Strike Group 3 (CSG-3), said in a statement in [a press release today](). “What this strike group has accomplished is truly historic. I could not be prouder of the exceptional professionalism and expertise demonstrated by every member of this team during our operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.” ![]() *An official picture the US Navy has released of the USS *Abraham Lincoln* arriving in Thailand today. *USN** *Lincoln* and its strike group had left port in San Diego in November 2025 for what was originally expected to be a routine cruise in the Pacific. The carrier, its air wing, and escorts were subsequently directed to the Middle East and arrived in that region in January 2026. CSG-3 took part in the [opening salvo of strikes on Iran on February 28]() as part of what the U.S. military dubbed Operation Epic Fury. *Lincoln* and the rest of the strike group continued to support Epic Fury and [subsequent operations against Iran]() for months thereafter. The decision was finally [made to rotate the carrier out of the region]() last month [following a raft of reports]() of [severely flagging morale and mental health]() among the crew, which we will come back to later. Two of the *Arleigh Burke* class destroyers assigned to CSG-3, the USS *Michael Murphy* and the USS *Spruance*, are still understood to [be operating in the Western end of the Indian Ocean](). A third destroyer in the strike group, the USS *Frank E. Petersen Jr.*, accompanied the *Lincoln* to Thailand and is now docked in a separate port in Sriracha, near Laem Chabang. The *Ticonderoga* class cruiser USS *Robert Smalls* also helped escort the carrier, and that warship "also arrived in Map Ta Phut, Thailand for their own scheduled port visit," according to the Navy. As mentioned, *Lincoln* definitely looks like it's been at sea more or less continuously for the last nine and a half months or so. Pictures and videos of the ship in Laem Chabang seen throughout this story plainly show big dark rust stains all around the hull and other similar signs of wear elsewhere. There is also a bright green ring of algae layered on the hull at the waterline. While carriers have very large crews and usually keep the ship's appearance up relatively well while on cruise, there is only so much that can be done out of port on particularly long deployments, where all resources are focused on sustained high-tempo combat operations. ![]() *USS *Abraham Lincoln* seen arriving in Laem Chabang, Thailand, today. *Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images** ![]() *Another look at the *Lincoln* arriving in Thailand today. *ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP via Getty Images** ![]() *A closer look at the side of *Lincoln*'s hull, with 'running rust' and algae plainly visible. *ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP via Getty Images** [Running rust on U.S. Navy ships]() has been [something of a lightning rod for criticism]() in recent years, including from President Donald Trump. This is in part due to the negative optics of such [visible wear and tear on American naval vessels](), especially during calls in foreign ports. “It’s terrible. I think they should be ashamed,” John Phelan [told members of Congress at a hearing]() last year after being shown pictures of a very worn-looking *Arleigh Burke* class destroyer, the USS *Dewey*, during a stopover in Singapore. “Would you want to go on that ship?” Phelan was testifying at the time regarding his nomination to be Secretary of the Navy. At the time, he said that President Trump had already [been texting him in the middle of the night]() regarding the issue. Phelan was subsequently confirmed and served as the Navy's top civilian until he was unexpectedly fired in April, reportedly over disagreements regarding the [new *Trump* class battleships]() and [other more general friction]() within [the administration](), ![]() *A picture of the USS Dewey covered in “running rust” during a recent port visit in Singapore is shown at the confirmation hearing for Secretary of the Navy nominee John Phelan on January 27, 2025. *Senate Armed Services Committee capture** *Lincoln*'s current condition is, of course, an extreme case that is the result of very specific operational circumstances. The carrier has already been in the news for weeks now due to the aforementioned morale issues, which family members of those onboard [have been very vocally calling attention to]() through the media. One sailor had to be rescued last month [after deliberately jumping overboard](). There were reports that at least one other individual onboard [had attempted to do the same](). [President Donald Trump]() and [Secretary Pete Hegseth](), among others, have pushed back on concerns about mental health and other issues on the ship. In a [statement shared on social media on August 16](), Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), acknowledged, but still downplayed, the seriousness of the mental health situation, in particular. At the same time, the carrier's marathon deployment is indicative of [larger shipbuilding](), [readiness, and other issues]() that the Navy [continues to struggle with](). Strains on the service carrier fleets in particular have been steadily building for years and are now becoming a low-level crisis. The USS *Gerald R. Ford* wrapped up a [historic 326-day-long deployment]() in May. The Navy has publicly said that the USS *Theodore Roosevelt*, which is set to begin its latest cruise soon, could be [away from home for at least eight months](). The longer the ships remain deployed, the longer they typically have to spend in port afterward, further compounding the situation with each passing day during months-long extensions. This all has very worrisome cascading impacts on even routine maintenance cycles, let alone deep overhauls and upgrade efforts, as well as personnel management matters, as we have [explored in detail in the past](). ![]() *USS *Abraham Lincoln* in Guam in December 2025. *USN** “It’s my earnest attempt to really try to keep those \[deployments\] at seven months,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle, the Navy's top officer, said during a question-and-answer session at Fort Meade, Maryland, Monday, which was livestreamed. He also said he wanted a Navy “that can sustain a seven-month deployment and still give our combatant commanders the amount of naval force they need to accomplish their missions, solve their key operational problems, and make sure they have all the naval force necessary to do what they need to do.” Caudle had notably [acknowledged concerns about strains on the *Ford*]() while speaking to *TWZ* and other outlets at the [Surface Navy Association]()’s annual symposium back in January. The *Lincoln*'s visibly worn state certainly draws new attention to the stress on America's carrier fleets as personnel onboard are now finally getting a much-earned reprieve in Laem Chabang. **Contact the author: joe@twz.com** ## Author Joseph is *TWZ’s* Deputy Editor, helping to oversee the site’s highly experienced and dedicated team, while also writing informative and impactful defense and national security content. He lives right in the thick of it in the Washington, D.C. area. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Bluesky]()