US Pulls Last Carrier from Asia, Lincoln Heads Home After 9 Months
USS George Washington leaves the Pacific to relieve USS Abraham Lincoln in the war with Iran, leaving the Western Pacific temporarily without a US carrier.
USS George Washington leaves the Pacific to relieve USS Abraham Lincoln in the war with Iran, leaving the Western Pacific temporarily without a US carrier.
The US Navy is withdrawing its last aircraft carrier from Asia. USS George Washington is leaving the Western Pacific to relieve USS Abraham Lincoln in operations in the Middle East, it was announced on Sunday, August 16, 2026. The move temporarily leaves the Western Pacific without a US carrier, as the war with Iran enters its ninth month.
USS Abraham Lincoln, with approximately 5,000 crew members, is nearing the end of a deployment that has lasted nearly nine months. This is a war that began in February 2026 and has so far claimed the lives of 18 American service members. A CNN correspondent boarded the ship on July 7, 2026, at the port of Duqm in Oman, just as Iran struck a third tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, and US Central Command was preparing a response.
Conditions on the ship have become a subject of heated debate after families of crew members spoke publicly about the poor state of affairs. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated that the conditions were "completely misrepresented," while President Donald Trump said last week that the deployment had not been "long enough."
Sailors described to CNN a period of food rationing after Iranian attacks disrupted the supply chain through Bahrain. "The food has slightly improved in palatability; if you had asked me a few months ago, I would have said many are losing weight because of the food," one sailor said. Another described a mold problem: "We've had black mold on the ship for a while now. It's incredible to think you're standing in line for food or coming out of the shower, and mold drips from the ceiling onto your face, shoulders, arms, or head."
The US Navy, in an official statement, denied chronic mold problems in the showers, stating that sailors regularly clean their bathrooms and replace curtains when necessary. "Lincoln does not have chronic mold problems in the showers," the Navy said. CNN photojournalist John Torigoe confirmed that he saw mold and old pipes but highlighted the professionalism of the crew: "I showered with hot water on demand; it was great, no time limits. Yes, I saw mold and old pipes. Was that expected? Absolutely, given the time spent at sea. I was amazed at how professional those sailors were."
On board, between 17,000 and 18,000 meals are prepared daily, and the menu rotates every 14 days. Young sailors wait up to an hour in line for each meal, and the workday lasts 12 to 16 hours. Breakfast begins at 6:00 a.m. in the mess deck.
Nearly half of the crew is 25 years old or younger, many on their first or second deployment. One sailor described the feeling of isolation: "It's hard to explain the loneliness you feel on a deployment longer than 9 months. Of course, you can make new friends and develop closer bonds with people you work with, or you get used to being surrounded, but you still somehow feel lonely. The best example I can think of is imagine being locked in a small room with plenty of space to walk around, but at the same time, you have no privacy at all."
Retired Admiral James Stavridis, who retired from the Navy in 2013 after overseeing operations in Afghanistan, Libya, and the Balkans, compared the situation to land wars: "During the forever wars in Iraq and Afghanistan... our soldiers fought in ground combat for 12 months, but they had an end and knew it was coming. There wasn't that feeling of it just going on and on like Sisyphus pushing a boulder up a hill."
The biggest source of anxiety, according to sailors, is not food, mold, or slow mail, but the open-ended extension without a clear return date. Command deliberately avoided setting a firm date after previously giving false hope to the crew.
After CNN's visit, one sailor jumped off the ship wearing a life vest and then removed it in the water, according to eyewitness accounts. He was rescued by helicopter. The Navy claims there is no widespread mental health crisis on board, but officials acknowledge that suicidal thoughts typically rise shortly after boarding and then decline as sailors adjust.
A crisis hotline, 988, is available on the ship, and sailors use Wi-Fi to send complaints in real time directly to Secretary Hegseth and journalists. CNN producer Mick Krever noted that some plumbing issues were quickly resolved, but that even on a large ship, claustrophobia is felt due to narrow passageways.
