USS Lincoln docks in San Diego, returning home for first time in 321 days

The USS Abraham Lincoln and its more than 4,500 sailors returned home to San Diego on Thursday for the first time in 321 days, a jubilant homecoming after a long deployment that included months in the Middle East.

Braving the heat, hundreds of family members and friends waited for hours in the sun to greet their loved ones. As the ship pulled into the harbor, a roar of cheers erupted from a pier. Sailors stood at attention on the deck for the aircraft carrier's long approach, and after they were released, smiles and waves broke out as sailors took out their phones to call people on the pier.

In one such reunion, McKenzie Adkins held her 10-week-old son Declan as she waved to her husband, Alexander, on the ship's deck, before the new father met his son for the first time.

The Lincoln carrier strike group had been deployed for more than 10 months , including more than 250 uninterrupted days at sea this year. Much of that time was spent in the Middle East, where the aircraft carrier and its escort ships supported the U.S. war against Iran. It left the region in late August and began sailing back toward its home port of San Diego, stopping in Thailand and Guam. The Japan-based USS George Washington , another U.S. aircraft carrier, arrived in August in the Middle East to replace the Lincoln.

During the Lincoln's record-long time at sea, the Navy drew scrutiny for conditions aboard the ship. Report circulated of supply shortages and faulty plumbing, and families of crew members raised concerns about deteriorating mental health conditions .

Congressional Democrats expressed outrage and pressed the Navy for more information about reports of shortages and mental health issues the Lincoln. The Pentagon has defended conditions on the ship.