USS Abraham Lincoln docked in Thailand after 250 days without a port call
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln entered Laem Chabang port in Thailand on Wednesday, giving its roughly 5,000 crew their first break ashore. It left San Diego last November on a six-month Pacific assignment and was diverted to the Gulf when operations against Iran began in late February. The US Embassy put the deployment at 286 days and uninterrupted time at sea at 264 days. Thai authorities placed parts of the city off limits. The carrier starts for home on 6 September.
Geopolitics··Evening
USS Abraham Lincoln docked at Laem Chabang after 264 uninterrupted days at sea
USS Abraham Lincoln entered Laem Chabang port in Thailand's Chonburi province on Wednesday morning, giving its roughly 5,000 crew members their first break ashore. BBC News put the stretch without a port call at a record 250 days; the US Embassy said the ship has been deployed for a total of 286 days since November, that Thailand was its first full port stop in that time, and that uninterrupted time at sea before Wednesday's arrival was 264 days. The sailors and Marines had not been on shore for more than 260 days. Launched in 1988, the carrier is nuclear-powered.[1], [2]
The carrier left San Diego in November and was diverted to the Gulf in late February
The ship left San Diego last November on a planned six-month Pacific and South China Sea assignment and was diverted to the Gulf when the United States and Israel began operations against Iran in late February, spending nearly nine months at sea in support of the US operations against Iran. The carrier entered the port shortly after the destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. sailed past the area, while the guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls, from the same group, headed to Map Ta Phut in neighbouring Rayong province. Thailand is a treaty ally of the United States and hosts US port calls regularly; even so, this is probably the largest group of American military personnel to reach Pattaya straight from a war zone since 1975.[1], [2]
Soi 6 in Pattaya is off limits to the crew, with the run for home set for 6 September
Thai authorities have placed parts of the city off limits to the crew, among them Soi 6 and the cannabis shops, and barred sea sports such as paragliding and jet skiing. Hundreds of police have been deployed to the entertainment districts and businesses warned not to overcharge. US Naval Attaché Kristopher Robinson said the crew would conduct themselves in accordance with US law, naval regulations and the laws of Thailand. Members of Congress had raised reports of food shortages, broken toilets and mental strain aboard; the Navy acknowledged that conditions were hard, said the crew were sufficiently supported and declined to discuss the port call, citing operational security. President Donald Trump had commented that the ship's lengthy deployment was not nearly long enough. Commanding officer Dan Keeler said the carrier's appearance is normal for a long deployment. The carrier is due to start for home on 6 September.[1], [2]
