Agencies | Washington :
The US Navy is preparing to deploy another aircraft carrier to the Middle East to relieve sailors and Marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, whose deployment has stretched beyond 250 days amid growing concerns over crew fatigue and conditions on the ship.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the USS George Washington is expected to replace the Lincoln as part of a planned Middle East deployment. The move comes as the US Navy faces mounting pressure over the unprecedented duration of the Lincoln’s mission.
The Abraham Lincoln has remained at sea for more than nine months and has reportedly gone around 200 days without a port call. Its roughly 250 consecutive days at sea have raised concerns among lawmakers, military families and naval personnel over the impact of prolonged deployments.
US Senator Richard Blumenthal has written to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth seeking details about conditions faced by personnel aboard the carrier.
Blumenthal cited reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing problems, deteriorating mental health, deck-safety concerns and disruptions to the mail system.
The prolonged deployment has also placed additional pressure on the carrier, its equipment and the nearly 5,000 sailors and Marines serving aboard it.
The concerns have intensified amid the continuing confrontation with Iran. Although renewed hostilities have eased in recent weeks, the US Navy has reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports around the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
The USS George Washington has already begun moving towards the region.
The carrier left Da Nang, Vietnam, last week, according to an NPR report, and was subsequently spotted travelling through the Singapore Strait alongside a cruiser and a destroyer.
A US Navy official told the publication that the carrier had entered the Strait of Malacca, placing it on a route towards the Indian Ocean and, eventually, the Middle East.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the George Washington is expected to replace the Lincoln as one of two US aircraft carriers currently deployed in the Middle East.
Hegseth has defended the Navy’s ability to sustain prolonged maritime operations, saying ships can be rotated to manage the demands of extended missions.
“The United States Navy can maintain a blockade like that because we’ll rotate ships in and out, as we have, and we’ll continue to,” Hegseth said.
He has also said he is advising President Donald Trump to maintain economic pressure on Iran.
The extended deployment has also generated concern among families of sailors, with reports of worsening conditions and repeated extensions to deployment schedules.
Military Times reported multiple incidents involving sailors attempting or considering going overboard.
Annabelle Loma told the publication that her husband attempted to jump from the ship after his deployment was extended repeatedly. She said he was exhausted and feared that the incident could jeopardise his military career.
“He’s scared. He thinks he’ll get a dishonourable discharge, and just because he was burnt out his 13-year career is ruined, just like that,” she said.
In another reported incident, a sailor’s wife said her husband intervened when a fellow crew member attempted to jump overboard, grabbing the sailor and pulling him back onto the deck.
The planned arrival of the USS George Washington is therefore expected to provide relief to personnel aboard the Abraham Lincoln while allowing the Navy to maintain its carrier presence in the Middle East. However, the prolonged deployment has highlighted the growing strain placed on US naval personnel and equipment by sustained operations in a volatile region.
