USS Abraham Lincoln arrives in Thailand after extended Iran deployment

About 5,000 U.S. sailors and Marines are stopping in the resort city of Pattaya for a “rest and relaxation” break as they return home from a record-setting deployment in the Middle East.

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier arrived Wednesday at a port in eastern Thailand, where thousands of U.S. sailors and Marines are disembarking for the first time in more than 280 days after a record-setting deployment in the Middle East.

The toll of the more than nine-month deployment, most of it spent supporting military operations in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, was visible on the carrier as it pulled into Laem Chabang Port in Chonburi province. Paint has worn off and the metal underneath is rusted on the 1,092-foot warship, which is one of the largest in the world.

The Lincoln is in Thailand for a four-day “rest and relaxation” stop on its way home to San Diego after having spent weeks in the headlines as the lengthy deployment raised concerns about supply shortages and the effect on sailors’ mental health.

The U.S. Navy confirmed the ship’s arrival in a statement, saying the Lincoln strike group arrived in Laem Chabang while the destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. docked in nearby Sriracha and the guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls went to Map Ta Phut in neighboring Rayong province.

The Navy said it was the Lincoln’s first full port stop after 286 days at sea since the deployment began in November.

“Our arrival in Laem Chabang provides a well-deserved opportunity for our sailors and Marines to rest and recharge,” said Rear Adm. Robert E. Loughran, commander of Carrier Strike Group 3. “It also underscores the strong and enduring partnership and alliance between the United States and Thailand.”

About 5,000 sailors and Marines are expected to hit the streets of Pattaya, a nearby coastal resort city that is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Thailand. Each service member will get three “liberty days” and one day of duty aboard the ship, a U.S. military official said.

Upon the Lincoln’s arrival in the morning, service members could be seen working aboard the deck as loudspeakers played announcements about the process for disembarkation. A whistle could be heard ringing across the deck, a Navy tradition that signals coming ashore.

Around 1 p.m. local time (2 a.m. ET), service members began disembarking from the ship in civilian clothes, some carrying backpacks. One service member was carrying his golf clubs. Waiting for them across the way were dozens of Ford pickup trucks and buses lined up in columns to take them into town.

“Please be on your best behavior,” a commanding officer could be heard saying over loudspeaker.

Locals in tourism-dependent Pattaya have eagerly awaited the arrival of the Lincoln, which pulled into sight from the shore after sunrise before it made a wide turn and harbored itself at a major cargo terminal.

Officials in Pattaya, where international tourist arrivals have dropped because of travel disruptions and soaring fuel prices stemming from the conflict in the Middle East, say the visit is expected to inject about $3 million into the local economy.

Authorities in Pattaya have stepped up security, with heightened police patrols and checks along the roads. Businesses here are also trying to woo the sailors, with some putting up banners to welcome them.

Wichai Yuankham, 35, a factory worker who came to watch the ships arrive, said the naval visit was a welcome boost to the local economy.

“I am just excited to see the destroyer docking,” he said. “This is my first time seeing the destroyer, and I feel good seeing it, and we can boast to our neighboring countries about this.”