Daniel Wolfram
After weeks of being used as a political tool, a highly debated warship is now returning home. This comes after reports of inhumane living conditions and people trying to go overboard.
After reports of harsh living conditions aboard a major Navy vessel, sailors are finally setting sail and returning home.
The crew was pushed to the limit with reports of various hardships. It became so taxing that some of them went to extreme measures to try to get off the ship.
Now they are returning to home base, but not before being caught in the middle of political warfare.
Heading back home
A major U.S. aircraft carrier is leaving the Middle East after nine grueling months. A U.S. official confirmed on Thursday that the USS Abraham Lincoln and its 5,000 crew members are heading back home.
The ship left San Diego on November 21, 2025. Conflict with Iran in February extended the mission, keeping the ship at sea until now.
Relief arrived as the USS George Washington reached the region to take over. Still, the journey back to San Diego will take about three weeks.
Alarm on board
The ship and its crew had been in the news over the last couple of weeks, as reports about strenuous living conditions aboard the ship were heavily criticized by Democrats on Capitol Hill.
Top officials offered swift pushback. President Trump dismissed the complaints, saying the vessel was not deployed long enough, while Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao called media coverage “dishonest.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also brushed off the growing criticism.
Click to display external content from t.co,
- You can always enable and disable third-party content.
You agree to display external third-party content. Personal data may be sent to the provider of the content and other third-party services.
Taking a different approach, U.S. Central Command Adm. Brad Cooper visited the ship over the weekend. He noted that life at sea is “uniquely challenging and tough, and every single one of us, including me, reacts to stressors in different ways.”
Cooper added, “I’ve long believed that mental health is another aspect of individual health and requires our attention just like physical health and spiritual health,” though he confirmed no specific problems. But the large crew is now returning home after the administrative visit.
Waiting at home
Back home, families are eager to reunite with their loved ones. Jefferson Kelley spoke to CBS News while waiting for his son Jackson, who is completing his very first deployment.
“What’s going through my mind as a parent is that need to want to be there, to want to be there for your child,” Kelley said.
The father shared the emotional toll the family felt while his son continued his deployment in the Arabian Sea. “I would get on a plane or helicopter tonight to get shipped out to the Lincoln if it meant bringing him home to his mom and his siblings and his family.”
