USS Lincoln returns to San Diego after spending nearly 300 days at sea
UPDATE (3:27 PM): The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier returned to San Diego Thursday after a near-record deployment in the Middle East.
Hundreds of sailors stood atop the massive aircraft carrier as it glided past the cityscape of Downtown San Diego and neared the dock where cheering families waited, carrying flowers and balloons and ringing cowbells.
The USS Lincoln spent more than 286 days at sea without a port call to support military operations during the war with Iran, amid reports of deteriorating conditions among its crew members.
It was the second-longest deployment since the Vietnam War, with more than 300 consecutive days overseas.
Over the course of the deployment, at least eight service members across the carrier strike group attempted suicide, according to a top Navy official in a letter obtained by NBC News.
Before its arrival in San Diego, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth flew out to the carrier to award crew members the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest honor a unit can receive that is typically reserved for significant achievement in combat.
SAN DIEGO (NBC, KYMA) - In San Diego Thursday, a homecoming more than ten months in the making as the USS Abraham Lincoln returns home after an extended deployment which included combat operations in the Middle East.
Families are anxiously waiting to see their loved ones.
The USS Lincoln left San Diego last November. Its strike group took part in combat operations against Iran as part of Operation Epic Fury and enforced a naval blockade.
The U.S. Navy said the carrier's air wing logged more than 13,000 flights.
The ship steamed more than 85,000 nautical miles, served four million meals to the thousands of sailors and Marines on board, and conducted 72 replenishments at sea, but as time stretched on, families raised alarms about food and supply shortages and their loved one's mental health.
In a letter to Congress, the Navy reported eight suicide attempts across the carrier strike group, with the Navy saying mental health professionals were on board.
It also said food supplies were adequate although limited resupplies meant cutting back at times on menu choices and ship maintenance.
The USS George Washington relieved the Lincoln over the summer.
Defense secretary Pete Hegseth visited the carrier Tuesday and presented them with the presidential unit citation.
After months away, the crew wasn't just heading home with a new honor, they were finally heading home to their families.
"If you would when you get home tomorrow just pass my gratitude from the president and myself let them know that their long wait was in service of a righteous and historic mission," Secretary Hegseth remarked.
The homecoming does not end the questions about this deployment.
Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) visited the ship September 27, pushing for an independent investigation and a congressional hearing here in San Diego to hear directly from service members.
