Battle-Weary Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln Finally Gets Relief as Sister Ship Steams Toward Iran Standoff
The USS George Washington is racing toward the Persian Gulf to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln after a record-breaking 260-plus days at sea, amid reports of strained morale aboard the outgoing carrier and fresh Iranian threats over the Strait of Hormuz.
A second US aircraft carrier is barreling toward the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has now spent more than 260 uninterrupted days at sea supporting the American military campaign against Iran — a deployment so long that reports of mental health strain and supply shortages aboard the ship have reached Capitol Hill.
The USS George Washington, a Nimitz-class carrier, departed a port in Vietnam last week and was spotted crossing the Strait of Malacca on Thursday en route to the Gulf, according to CBS News. The rotation would let the Pentagon keep a carrier presence in the region while finally giving the Lincoln's crew relief after more than eight months away from a home port — the ship reportedly hasn't made a port call in 200 days.
Sailors under strain
The prolonged deployment has drawn scrutiny in Washington after NPR reported on morale and supply problems aboard the Lincoln, part of a broader pattern of concern that has included sailors attempting to go overboard during the extended tour, an incident that sparked alarm among senators earlier this week.
The carrier swap comes as tensions over the Strait of Hormuz remain elevated. Iranian leaders have repeatedly insisted that Tehran — not Washington — decides who sails through the strategic waterway, even as the Trump administration has vowed to keep it open to shipping traffic. Ship transits through the strait have fallen to a three-month low, a sign of how jittery commercial shippers remain despite the US military buildup, per CNBC.
TEHRAN SAYS IT — NOT WASHINGTON — DECIDES WHO SAILS THROUGH HORMUZ
The Pentagon has not given a precise handover date, but officials cited by The Hill described the rotation as a previously scheduled move rather than an emergency pullout, even as it lands amid mounting political pressure over the Lincoln crew's welfare.
Once relieved, the Lincoln is expected to return stateside for an extended maintenance and rest period, while the George Washington settles into the Gulf posture the Lincoln has held since the war against Iran began.