USS Abraham Lincoln Heads Home After 321 Days at Sea

Washington (GNP): The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is returning to San Diego after a 321-day deployment, and United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says its strike group sank 64 Iranian warships during that time. He made the claim while addressing the crew ahead of their homecoming.

Hegseth said Iran had a modern navy before the conflict began, and that it then had to deal with the carrier and its crew. His remarks came amid the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran.

He said the strike group helped enforce what he called an “impenetrable steel wall” in and around the Strait of Hormuz. That effort was part of a blockade of Iranian ports.

The figures he cited point to an intense combat record. They include 40 consecutive days of combat operations, 3,693 combat flights and the launch of 450 Tomahawk cruise missiles. These numbers come from Hegseth and have not been independently verified.

The deployment itself was far longer than planned. The carrier left San Diego in November 2025 and was later redirected to the Middle East after the war with Iran broke out.

According to the Pentagon, it then spent 264 consecutive days at sea without a port call, a record for a US aircraft carrier.

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Such a long stretch away drew scrutiny over conditions on board and the wellbeing of the crew. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said last month that eight service members assigned to the Lincoln strike group had attempted suicide during the deployment.

Hegseth pushed back on reports describing the ship as a symbol of low morale or dysfunction. He said a few people in the media had tried to portray it that way.

The carrier and its accompanying strike group have also been awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for their role in the conflict. It is the US military’s highest unit-level award for combat.

Hegseth said, “When I talk to your leadership, I know it’s the exact opposite.”