USS Lincoln begins journey home after nine-month deployment

Aug. 20 (UPI) -- The USS Abraham Lincoln left the Middle East and started making its journey back to the United States on Thursday following reports on the mental health strain and supply shortages on board.

The USS George Washington reached the Arabian Sea in the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility to relieve the USS Lincoln. The Lincoln will return to the port in San Diego, from which it departed Nov. 21.

The George Washington crew is relieving the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group as part of what Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao called a planned rotation. It may take a month or more for the Lincoln to return to the United States.

The USS Lincoln's deployment has been the longest without stopping at a port. It has led to reports of sailors and Marines suffering mental health crises.

Cao said in a social media post last week that the USS Lincoln group "crushed their deployment" while downplaying reports of shipmen experiencing mental health struggles some making suicide attempts, including at least one sailor who deliberately jumped overboard.

The Washington's move to the Arabian Sea leaves the U.S. Navy without an aircraft carrier in the Western Pacific, a region that has been a focal point of its deployment.

The Lincoln was originally deployed off the coast of Venezuela. When the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February, the ship was sent to the Middle East.

About 5,000 sailors and Marines are on board the Lincoln. Family members of several on board have expressed concerns about their loved ones' wellbeing.

Some Democratic lawmakers have also shared concerns about the Lincoln's deployment and its mental health toll on passengers. Last week, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, shared concerns about supply shortages and other issues on the ship.

"These reports warrant immediate attention, but they also raise a broader question: whether the Navy can sustain the operational tempo now being demanded of its carrier force, particular as this administration repeatedly commits U.S. forces to conflicts of its own choosing and increasingly relies on aircraft carriers to sustain those operations," Blumenthal said in a statement.

NTT IndyCar Series Drivers Scott Dixon (R) and Graham Rahal (L) pose with first lady Melania Trump during an event in the Rose Garden of the White House on Thursday. The first lady announced that a $2 million donation from IndyCar and Fox Corporation will fund Fostering the Future scholarships at Indiana University and Purdue University to expand academic opportunities for individuals transitioning from foster care. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo