US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln flees West Asia amid crew collapse

The USS Abraham Lincoln, a key symbol of American naval aggression in the West Asian region, has begun its humiliating retreat back to the United States after months of internal crisis, structural failures, and desperate conditions that exposed the fragility of Washington’s prolonged military campaign against Iran.

According to a report by the New York Times citing a US official, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which carried nearly 5,000 sailors and Marines, started its journey home on Thursday following the arrival of the USS George Washington in the Arabian Sea.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) released photos of the replacement vessel operating in the area, confirming the handover after the Wall Street Journal earlier indicated the switch.

The departure comes after the Abraham Lincoln endured one of the longest modern deployments in US Navy history, more than nine months at sea, including a record stretch of over 250 consecutive days without a meaningful port call. The ship supported the illegal US-Israeli war of aggression launched against the Islamic Republic in late February.

Multiple American military publications have detailed the deepening crisis aboard the vessel. The Navy Times reported that several sailors attempted suicide by jumping overboard, while Stars and Stripes revealed that families of the crew had directly confronted Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao over reports of collapsing mental health among service members.

California Democratic Representative Mike Levin publicly described appalling conditions, including moldy and broken showers, non-functioning toilets, long periods without hot water, shortages of basic hygiene items such as soap and toothpaste, and severe food rationing that left crews with meager meals like half a cup of rice and two tortillas.

These hardships stemmed in large part from the disruption of traditional US supply hubs in the Persian Gulf. Iranian defensive operations early in the war heavily damaged key logistics facilities, including Naval Support Activity Bahrain, forcing American forces to rely on distant bases such as Diego Garcia, over 2,100 miles away.

This stretched supply lines to breaking point, leading to shortages of fresh food, hygiene products, and even mail, as admitted by the US Navy itself in statements acknowledging a “highly contested environment” created by combat actions.

US officials have scrambled to downplay the disaster. US War Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed the reports as “completely misrepresented,” while President Donald Trump claimed the deployment was “not nearly long enough.”

CENTCOM insisted the crew remained “resilient” and highlighted high reenlistment rates, yet the very fact that the carrier is being rotated out after families and lawmakers raised alarms underscores the human and material toll of Washington’s failed adventure.

Pentagon reports 757 wounded in war on Iran as questions mount over casualty figures

The Pentagon has recorded 757 US service members wounded and 18 killed since Washington and Tel Aviv launched their aggression against Iran.

The Abraham Lincoln had been redirected from the Pacific to the West Asia in January to bolster aggressive operations, launching thousands of sorties and expending massive amounts of ordnance as part of the ongoing blockade and strikes aimed at the Iranian nation. Its forced withdrawal, even as another carrier arrives, leaves the US military scrambling and temporarily without a carrier presence in the Western Pacific, further evidence of the strategic overstretch imposed by Iranian resistance and the Axis of Resistance.

As the Abraham Lincoln limps home, the message is clear: Iran’s steadfast defense continues to exact a heavy price on those who seek to dominate the region.

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