What to Know About the Growing Concerns Over Conditions on the Long-Deployed USS Abraham Lincoln

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Navy released handout, An F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14, makes an arrested landing on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury, on February 28, 2026. —U.S.

Navy/Getty Images The USS Abraham Lincoln has been at sea in the Middle East for months, and with no clear end in sight for the war in Iran , concerns for those aboard the aircraft carrier—and for the vessel itself—have mounted amid a series of troubling reports.

Another aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, had begun making its way towards the Middle East as of Thursday to replace the Lincoln, multiple news outlets reported.

President Donald Trump appeared to confirm the reported ship swap on Friday, saying that the Lincoln "is moving right now, or very shortly and is being replaced with another very similar ship.” The Washington’s deployment comes as reports have emerged in recent months recounting worsening living conditions, mental health concerns, and supply shortages on board the Lincoln.

Trump seemed to deny the reports on the state of the Lincoln and its crew on Friday, responding “No, they’re not,” in response to a reporter saying that families of the crew members are worried about conditions on board.

He also said, when asked if the carrier has been deployed for too long, that it has been deployed “not nearly long enough.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegeseth on Thursday called the reports of dire conditions on the Lincoln “completely misrepresented.” “We make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment.

Some deployments are longer than others.

I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody,” Hegseth, with a hand to his heart, told reporters.

“I want them home as soon as everybody else, too.” The Defense Department did not immediately respond to TIME’s request for comment.

Here’s what to know about the USS Abraham Lincoln, the concerns that have been raised over conditions on board, and the burgeoning calls for its crew to return home.

What is the USS Abraham Lincoln, and how long has it been deployed? The Lincoln is in its ninth month at sea and has been deployed for more than 260 days.

The vessel works as a mobile airbase and command center with its own defense systems.

It’s the length of more than three football fields and has a crew of roughly 5,000 when fully deployed.