Overview
- The nuclear carrier arrived at Laem Chabang port for a five-day rest-and-recovery visit, and roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines have staggered liberty to nearby Pattaya for shore leave.
- U.S. officials and the embassy say the Lincoln has been deployed for 286 days since November with an uninterrupted at-sea stretch of about 264 days before the Thailand stop.
- Family members and multiple news reports described food shortages, plumbing failures and worsening mental-health strain aboard the ship, while Navy and Pentagon officials publicly disputed some of those accounts.
- The Lincoln was relieved in theater in August by the USS George Washington and is expected to resume homebound transit to San Diego after resupply stops in Thailand.
- Local and U.S. commanders imposed curfews and bans on certain areas and activities, two sailors were returned to the ship and confined after a minor brawl in Pattaya, visible rust and peeling paint were noted on the hull, and lawmakers are pressing for oversight of carrier rotations and logistics.