The aircraft carrier USS George Washington has begun heading from the Pacific Ocean toward the Middle East, according toNavy statements and open-ports surfaced of mental health and supply issues aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln
The vessel, which carries more than 5,000 sailors and Marines, has accumulated around 250 consecutive days without making landfall as part of its extended deployment in the Middle East supporting the war with Iran. In peacetime, an aircraft carrier deployment typically lasts six months. Relatives and lawmakers expressed concern after specialized media outlets such as Stars and Stripes reported incidents of individuals attempting to jump overboard
The Navy indicated in a statement that the USS George Washington set sail from the port of Da Nang, Vietnam, last week. Since then, the aircraft carrier, along with a cruiser and a destroyer, has been spotted crossing the Singapore Strait
During his visit to Panama on Thursday afternoon, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that reports alleging mental health issues aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln “completely misrepresented” the situation. “We make sure that every ship, every crew, and every captain has everything we can provide them at every moment,” Hegseth said
A Navy official, speaking to AP on condition of anonymity, confirmed thatthe USS George Washington was in the Strait of Malacca, which connects the Pacific and Indian oceans. That puts the ship on course toward the Indian Ocean. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that the Washington would replace the Lincoln
The USS Abraham Lincoln: the aircraft carrier classified as one of the U.S.’s nuclear giants
The USS Abraham Lincolnis the fifth American Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, the largest in the world. It is also one of two aircraft carriers currently stationed in the Middle East as the conflict between Washington and Tehran continues and the Navy enforces a blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global trade in oil and natural gas
The aircraft carrier deployed on November 21 from San Diego, California, and arrived in the region in January, before the start of the war with Iran on February 28. The Navy acknowledged that the conflict created a “highly challenging environment in which traditional supply hubs in the Middle East were disrupted by combat actions.” That, in turn, led to shortages and lost mail aboard the aircraft carrier, the Navy noted in a statement
“Leadership prioritized mission-critical supplies: first food, then hygiene items, and then mail,” the statement reads. It assures that sailors aboard the ship now have access to clean water and “healthy meal options.”
Democrats call for investigations
Several Democratic lawmakers have called for investigations, more information, and greater transparency regarding conditions aboard the USS Lincoln
“The Lincoln’s extended deployment is especially significant because it is occurring in the context of ongoing military operations against Iran and the possibility that substantial U.S. naval forces will be required in the region for an extended period,” declared Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut in a letter to Navy leadership
Leaders of that agency, including Acting Secretary Hung Cao, held a tense town hall last week with families of the USS Lincoln, during which commanders promised to do everything possible to relieve the aircraft carrier. MS Now previously reported on the meeting
When reports of food shortages aboard the vessel emerged in April, the Navy dismissed them, calling them “false.”
Other aircraft carriers have also experienced extended deployments that have raised concerns about morale. The USS Gerald R. Ford returned home in mid-May following an 11-month deployment—the longest since the Vietnam War—during which it supported the U.S. war with Iran and the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro
With information from AP
- United States
- Donald Trump (US)
- The Pentagon
