USS Abraham Lincoln Leaves the Middle East After 9-Month Deployment

The USS Abraham Lincoln, a giant U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, has left the Middle East and is on its way back to San Diego. The ship and its roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines spent nine months away from home. A U.S. official confirmed the news to CBS News on Thursday. The departure is a huge relief for crew members and their waiting families.

The USS Abraham Lincoln first left San Diego on November 21. The mission was supposed to end sooner, but a war with Iran that began in February made the deployment much longer. During that time, the ship was used as a launch point for thousands of aircraft flights that supported military strikes. The extra months put a heavy strain on everyone aboard.

Another aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, has arrived in the Middle East to take the Lincoln's place. The George Washington is based in Japan, and it will now carry out the mission in the region. The swap of ships is a normal part of how the U.S. military keeps forces in key parts of the world. It means the Lincoln's crew can finally head home.

Family members of the crew had been speaking out about serious problems on the ship. They said there were worries about poor mental health, bad sanitary conditions, and not enough food. These concerns were reported in military newspapers like the Military Times and Stars and Stripes, and they got the attention of lawmakers in Washington, D.C. Some families were very worried about their loved ones.

Top government leaders pushed back on those concerns. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Trump both said the reports were not a big deal, with Trump saying the ship hadn't been gone long enough to cause real problems. The Acting Secretary of the Navy, Hung Cao, called the media coverage of the conditions 'dishonest.' The responses frustrated some families who felt their concerns were being ignored.

U.S. Central Command Admiral Brad Cooper visited the USS Abraham Lincoln over the weekend to hear from the crew directly. He admitted that life at sea is 'uniquely challenging and tough,' and that people handle stress in different ways. Cooper also said he believes mental health is just as important as physical health. Still, he did not confirm any specific problems on the ship.

The Navy said it has not seen a rise in suicide attempts or reports of suicidal thoughts on board. However, it is looking into an incident from August 3, when a sailor fell overboard but was safely recovered. Investigations like this are taken seriously to make sure the crew is safe. The Navy has not released many details about what happened.

For families back home, the wait has been very hard. Jefferson Kelley, whose son Jackson is on his first deployment aboard the Lincoln, told CBS News how much he wants his son home. 'I would get on a plane or helicopter tonight to get shipped out to the Lincoln if it meant bringing him home to his mom and his siblings and his family,' he said. His words reflect how deeply families have felt the weight of this long deployment.

The USS Abraham Lincoln is expected to take about three weeks to sail back to San Diego. When it arrives, thousands of families will be reunited with their sailors and Marines. The return will mark the end of one of the longest and most demanding deployments the ship has seen in recent years. For the crew and their loved ones, the journey home cannot come soon enough.