A US aircraft carrier at the center of a political fight over conditions on board was set to arrive in Thailand on Tuesday, the first port call for its 5,000-strong crew since November.
The thousands of service members are about to descend on eastern Thailand, as the USS Abraham Lincoln makes a port call near the city of Pattaya, famous for its beaches and nightlife.
The aircraft carrier sailed past Singapore over the weekend on its way back to the US after a lengthy deployment in the Middle East as part of the US war against Iran.
The nuclear-powered ship — one of the US Navy’s largest warships — left California in November 2025 for duty in the South China Sea and was rerouted to the Middle East before US-Israeli attacks on Iran that began six months ago.
Reports of deteriorating living conditions and poor mental health on board — including attempted suicides — made headlines in the United States, provoking criticism of US President Donald Trump’s war against Iran. The deployment included a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 250 days, which caused concerns following reports of shortages of supplies including food and hygiene products.
