As the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln docked Wednesday morning in Thailand, the first of some 5,000 crew members were expected to begin arriving in the beach town of Pattaya to begin a handful of days of shore leave.
For the sailors and Marines serving aboard the beleaguered aircraft carrier, this is the first significant break they have had in more than nine months. The nuclear-powered Lincoln left its home port of San Diego before Thanksgiving and deployed to the Middle East.
After disembarking at the port of Laem Chabang, north of Pattaya, crew members were expected to bus into the city, where many have booked hotels for their shore leave, according to the city’s mayor, Poramet Ngampichet.
“Our arrival in Laem Chabang provides a well-deserved opportunity for our Sailors and Marines to rest and recharge,” Rear Adm. Robert E. Loughran, the commander of the Carrier Strike Group 3, of which the Lincoln is the aircraft carrier, said in a statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok. “It also underscores the strong and enduring partnership and alliance between the United States and Thailand.”
Two other vessels in the strike group docked at nearby ports. The admiral called Thailand the United States’ oldest partner and only treaty ally in Southeast Asia.
Pattaya, a city about 60 miles south of Bangkok that is best known for its nightlife and red-light districts, has been an R&R spot for American troops for decades. The local authorities, after discussions with U.S. officials, said that the U.S. military had imposed restrictions for this shore leave, including no parasailing or jet skiing, no visiting certain areas and no consuming marijuana, even though it is legal in Thailand and widely sold.
During its deployment in the war in Iran, the Lincoln came under repeated missile and drone attacks, and was able to shoot down all of them, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said. But after Iranian missiles and drones destroyed much of a major naval base in Bahrain at the start of the war, resupplying and making repairs on the Lincoln became difficult.
Last month, Democratic senators raised concerns about growing problems on the ship, including supply shortages, water contamination, plumbing problems and the deteriorating mental health of the crew.
Soon after, the Lincoln was replaced in the Middle East by the U.S.S. George Washington, which had been based in Japan. After its stopover in Thailand, the Lincoln is scheduled to depart for San Diego on Sunday.
