USS Abraham Lincoln Begins Journey Home After Lengthy Iran War Deployment
The aircraft carrier is leaving the Middle East after months at sea as the USS George Washington arrives to relieve the ship and its crew.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The USS Abraham Lincoln has begun its journey home after an unusually prolonged deployment supporting US military operations in the Middle East, according to CNN, following the arrival of the USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group to take over its regional duties.
A source familiar with the movement told CNN that the Lincoln has started heading home, although a US official cautioned that the carrier remains within the US Navy's Fifth Fleet area of operations and has not yet left the wider US Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility.
The development follows the arrival of the USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group in the region on Wednesday.
CENTCOM confirmed the carrier group's entry into its area of responsibility, describing the deployment as part of a scheduled rotation.
The George Washington is expected to relieve the Lincoln after months of operations connected to the US war with Iran, allowing the long-deployed crew to begin returning home.
The Lincoln's deployment has attracted unusually close scrutiny because of its length and the conditions faced by sailors during the conflict.
The carrier originally departed San Diego on Nov. 21, 2025, and subsequently spent an extended period at sea with limited opportunities to visit friendly ports.
CNN has reported concerns from sailors and military families about low morale, fatigue and difficulties with basic amenities aboard the ship.
The reports included claims that toilets and water fountains were frequently unavailable and that hot water was sometimes limited.
The prolonged deployment has also raised questions about sailors' mental health.
CNN previously reported that two sailors assigned to the Lincoln strike group went overboard in separate incidents in recent months and were rescued alive. Other reports said sailors had been prevented from going overboard.
The Pentagon has pushed back against descriptions of deteriorating conditions. War Secretary Pete Hegseth said reports about the ship had been “completely misrepresented,” while the Navy said it had “not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship.”
President Donald Trump has also dismissed concerns about the duration of the deployment, despite the Navy's typical recommendation that aircraft carrier strike groups remain deployed for about seven months.
The George Washington's arrival provides the Navy with a mechanism to rotate the Lincoln and its crew while maintaining a major US carrier presence in the region.
The replacement comes as Washington continues military operations related to the Iran conflict and maintains naval forces around the Arabian Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most strategically important energy corridors.
The transition therefore marks both a logistical relief for the Lincoln's crew and a continuation of the US military's regional posture. For the sailors aboard the Abraham Lincoln, however, the beginning of the voyage home represents the end of one of the longest and most demanding deployments in the carrier's recent history.