USS Abraham Lincoln docks in Thailand resort town after reports of alarming conditions during 200 days at sea
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The USS Abraham Lincoln has docked in Pattaya, Thailand, marking the end of a gruelling deployment of more than 200 days at sea amid the conflict involving Iran. The stop gives the carrier's roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines a chance to unwind before returning to the United States, and follows reports of alarming conditions aboard the ship, including low morale and claims of suicidal ideation among crew, which prompted the USS George Washington to relieve it in the Pacific weeks earlier. Local officials have welcomed the visit and hope Pattaya can become a regular "vacation spot" for US forces in future.
Ahead of the carrier's arrival, Thai authorities stepped up security and carried out weekend raids detaining 40 to 50 people as part of a crackdown on prostitution in the resort town, which has been linked to sex tourism since hosting US troops during the Vietnam War. Officials have also set rules for visiting sailors, including a ban on parasailing and cannabis use, a 2am curfew for the Walking Street nightlife district, and warnings that vaping (punishable by up to five years in prison) and insulting the Thai monarchy (up to 15 years) are serious offences under local law.
- USS Abraham Lincoln docks in Pattaya after 200+ days at sea
- Move follows reports of dire morale and conditions aboard ship
- Thai authorities raided prostitution rings, set strict rules for sailors
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Pattaya, on Thailand's eastern coast, is a beach resort town that has drawn US Navy ships for decades, dating back to the Vietnam War era when it became a well-known rest stop for American troops. The USS Abraham Lincoln is a US aircraft carrier, essentially a floating airbase crewed by thousands of sailors and Marines, and its arrival there is a routine kind of visit called a port call, giving the crew a break from life at sea.
This particular deployment has drawn attention because it lasted more than 200 days, considerably longer than a typical carrier deployment, with the ship at sea since late November amid tensions involving Iran. Extended deployments like this put strain on crews, and there have been reports of difficult conditions on board during the voyage.
Pattaya's tourism industry, including its nightlife and sex trade, has long been intertwined with visits from foreign militaries, and Thai authorities typically step up policing when a large group of foreign personnel arrives in the town. Local officials, including the mayor, are involved in coordinating with the US military over rules of conduct for visiting service members during their stay.
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