USS Abraham Lincoln Returns to San Diego After 321-Day Deployment

The USS Abraham Lincoln pulled into Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego on Thursday, Oct. 8, ending a 321-day deployment that began Nov. 21, 2025.

The carrier spent 265 consecutive days at sea without a port visit, a Navy record that passed the 206 days the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower logged in 2020. The Lincoln's total was five days short of the 326-day deployment the USS Gerald R. Ford completed this year.

The carrier left San Diego for the Indo-Pacific and was redirected to the Middle East, where it took part in the U.S. military campaign against Iran that began Feb. 28. The Pentagon said the Lincoln strike group flew 3,693 sorties, shot down 77 one-way attack drones and sank 64 Iranian ships.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew out to the carrier on Wednesday, Oct. 7, as it neared San Diego, and announced that the strike group would receive the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest unit-level award for valor in combat. He told the crew he had signed the orders that extended the deployment twice.

"A. Because of the incredible effectiveness that you showcased on the battlefield and the necessity. But also, B. The mission required it. And C. Because President Trump had full faith that you would deliver on behalf of the American people," Hegseth said. "And you did."