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USS Lincoln crew hits the streets of Thai beach city after lengthy Middle East deployment
The port call gave sailors shore leave after a 286-day deployment that drew concern over crew fatigue, mental health and food shortages, officials said.
On Thursday, crew members of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier arrived in Pattaya, Thailand, for a port call following a lengthy deployment to the Middle East, with the carrier docked at Laem Chabang port.
The Lincoln spent a record-setting 264 days uninterrupted at sea while supporting the U.S. war against Iran, though reports last month raised concerns regarding crew mental health and food shortages.
Two other ships from the strike group, the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. destroyer and USS Robert Smalls cruiser, are docked elsewhere in Thailand, while dozens of service members shopped at Pattaya's Terminal 21 mall.
Vendors gathered outside the Hard Rock Hotel to meet arriving troops as crowds flocked to the port to view the vessel, which is as long as three American football fields.
The strike group is expected to depart Thailand this weekend and continue its journey home, with Capt. Dan Keeler noting the ship may make further supply stops during the voyage.