USS Lincoln arrives in Thailand after months of supply shortages and poor conditions

After nine grueling months, the nearly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard the beleaguered USS Abraham Lincoln are finally getting some relief.

The aircraft carrier was spotted heading into port near Pattaya, Thailand, Wednesday morning local time for what the Navy calls a “liberty port call,” marking the first time the service members will have extensive free time on land for rest and relaxation after having their time at sea extended multiple times in the Iran war.

Pattaya is a standard stop for a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier in the region and is known for its beaches and nightlife.

Thai officials briefed local reporters ahead of the carrier’s arrival, saying local businesses will welcome the service members, whom they anticipate will bring a much needed boost to the economy, which has seen a drop in tourism since the war with Iran began.

Since its deployment began on Nov. 21, the USS Lincoln has only made two short port calls, one in Guam on Dec. 11 and another on July 7, when it briefly pulled into Oman, setting a modern-era record for the most continuous days at sea.

But during those two brief port calls, service members had no “off base liberty,” meaning they were able to get off the carrier, but they weren’t able to leave the port. During the liberty port call in Thailand, the service members will be able to leave the carrier and the port to spend a few days off in the city near the ship’s berth.

Navy officials have set limits on what sailors and Marines are allowed to do ashore.

During free time in Pattaya, the commanding officer of the USS Lincoln has told service members they will have a curfew for when they are expected to be back at their hotels, and they are forbidden from engaging in prostitution and marijuana use, a person familiar with the instructions told MS NOW. They have also been told to stay away from certain streets, and any infraction will be met with the maximum punishment.

Port calls are important for carriers during deployment as they provide service members with time off to recharge during deployment.

It’s also an opportunity for the carrier to be resupplied with food and hygiene products and allows maintenance workers to address mechanical issues aboard the carrier that can’t be repaired at sea.

In a town hall Monday at Fort George G. Meade in Maryland with top-ranking Navy officials, Adm. Daryl Caudle, chief of naval operations and the highest-ranking Naval officer, acknowledged the importance of port calls for Navy ships, saying they give service members time to “relax” and “rejuvenate” while also letting the carrier crew address needed maintenance.

The USS Lincoln went for long stretches between port calls while deployed in the Middle East because there are few locations in the region where the carrier could safely port.

In the Maryland town hall, Caudle said the Navy is looking at what a port call in the Arabian Gulf region would look like so future carriers deployed in the region can have those opportunities that the USS Lincoln did not have, as there is no clear end in sight in the war with Iran.

Some of those potential locations for carriers deployed in the war with Iran to dock safely away from striking distance of Iranian missiles include Kenya and India, Caudle said while addressing reporters in Norfolk, Virginia, last week.

The stop in Thailand comes as the USS Lincoln makes its way back to its home port of San Diego after the carrier faced supply and food shortages and family members expressed concern over their loved ones’ mental health and exhaustion.

Priya Sridhar reported this story from Thailand, and Lindsey Pipia reported from Washington, D.C.

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