Record 264-day deployment ends with port call in Thailand for aircraft carrier crew

The USS Abraham Lincoln completed a record 264 consecutive days at sea, part of a 286-day deployment supporting U.S. operations in the Middle East. Concerns about crew mental health and food shortages were raised during the deployment, but the Navy downplayed them. The ship will depart Thailand this weekend and return to the U.S.

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The Lincoln's strike group includes the destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., docked at Sriracha, and the cruiser USS Robert Smalls at Map Ta Phut. Local vendors, some traveling over 200 kilometers, set up near the Hard Rock Hotel to sell souvenirs to arriving crew members.

The ship's commanding officer, Capt. Dan Keeler, confirmed the vessel will head home soon but may make additional supply stops. Crew morale appeared elevated during the port call, with sailors shopping at Pattaya's Terminal 21 mall, though one sailor