The Pacific-based aircraft carrier USS George Washington has begun heading toward the Middle East, according to Navy statements and open-source information on the ship's movements.
This comes as reports have emerged of mental health and supply issues aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, whose long deployment to the Middle East in support of the Iran war includes a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days.
For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The USS George Washington left port in Da Nang, Vietnam, last week, according to a Navy statement. The carrier, along with a cruiser and a destroyer, have since been spotted crossing the Singapore Strait.
A Navy official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to detail sensitive ship movements, confirmed that the USS George Washington was in the Strait of Malacca, which links the Pacific and Indian oceans. That puts the ship on a course to head into the Indian Ocean. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that the Washington would replace the Lincoln.
