The USS George Washington nuclear-powered aircraft carrier docks at a naval base in Busan, South Korea, on Nov. 5. File Photo by Yonhap/EPA
Aug. 20 (UPI) -- The USS George Washington reached the Arabian Sea in the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility, following reports of poor conditions for sailors aboard the USS Lincoln.
The USS George Washington crew is expected to relieve the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group as part of what Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao called a planned rotation. It may take a month or more for the Lincoln to return to the United States.
The USS Lincoln has been on deployment since leaving port in San Diego in November, marking the longest deployment without stopping at a port. The long deployment has led to reports of sailors and Marines suffering mental health crises.
Cao said in a social media post last week that the USS Lincoln group "crushed their deployment" while downplaying reports of shipmen experiencing mental health struggles some making suicide attempts, including at least one sailor who deliberately jumped overboard.
