LAEM CHABANG, Thailand — The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier arrived Wednesday at a port in eastern Thailand, where thousands of U.S. sailors and Marines are disembarking for the first time in more than 280 days after a record-setting deployment in the Middle East.
\n\nThe toll of the more than nine-month-long deployment, most of it spent supporting military operations in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, was visible on the carrier as it pulled into Laem Chabang Port in Chonburi province. Paint has worn off and the metal underneath is rusted on the 1,092-foot warship, which is one of the largest in the world.
\n\nThe Lincoln is stopping in Thailand on its journey home after spending weeks in the headlines as the lengthy deployment raised concerns about supply shortages and the effect on sailors’ mental health.
\n\nThe U.S. Navy confirmed the ship’s arrival in a statement, saying the Lincoln strike group arrived in Laem Chabang while the destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. docked in nearby Sriracha and the guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls went to Map Ta Phut in neighboring Rayong province.
\n\nThe navy said this was the Lincoln’s first full port stop after 286 days at sea since the…
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/health