The USS Lincoln aircraft carrier docked in Thailand on Wednesday morning, with approximately 5,000 crew members expected to begin arriving in Pattaya for a few-day shore leave—marking their first significant break in over nine months.
The USS Lincoln departed its home port of San Diego before last Thanksgiving and was deployed to the Middle East, where it has faced considerable strain. Hugues has stated that during its involvement in the Iran conflict, the ship was repeatedly targeted by missiles and drones, all of which were successfully intercepted. However, after Iranian missiles and drones destroyed much of a major naval base in Bahrain at the beginning of the war, resupply and maintenance for the Lincoln became extremely difficult. Last month, Democratic senators expressed concern over worsening conditions aboard the ship, including shortages of supplies, water contamination, pipe failures, and deteriorating mental health among crew members. Shortly thereafter, the Lincoln’s mission in the Middle East was taken over by the USS Washington, which had previously been stationed in Japan. After docking in Thailand, the Lincoln is scheduled to depart for San Diego on Sunday.
Images sourced from the internet
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875270126578954/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.