Navy
USS Abraham Lincoln returns to San Diego after combat operations deployment in Middle East
Stars and Stripes
December 25, 2024
Sailors and Marines man the rails on the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in San Diego, Dec. 20, 2024. (Clayton Wren/U.S. Navy)
The USS Abraham Lincoln, the flagship of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, returned to San Diego on Dec. 20 after completing a successful five-month combat operations deployment to the U.S. 3rd Fleet, U.S. 7th Fleet and U.S. 5th Fleet areas of operation, according to a Navy news release.
“I could not be more proud of this team. Our sailors and Marines performed superbly across every mission assigned,” said Capt. Pete Riebe, commanding officer, USS Abraham Lincoln.
“From the start of deployment, right up until the end, the Lincoln team never wavered in their commitment to excellence. Even while being targeted by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, Lincoln Nation expertly defended the ship and supported our Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group destroyers transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The men and women of Lincoln nation should stand tall knowing they performed admirably in the face of uncertainty.”
The deployment included many firsts for the strike group including; the first combat employment of the F-35C Lightning II platform; the first employment of the ALQ-249 Next Generation Jammer; the first Nimitz-class aircraft carrier to refuel at sea with a commercial oiler; the first Multi-Large Deck Event with the Italian Navy’s Cavour CSG in the Indo-Pacific; the first west coast CSG to conduct combat strikes to degrade Iranian-backed Houthi rebel combat capabilities; and the first carrier to pull into Malaysia in over 12 years to strengthen critical regional partnerships, according to Rear Adm. Adan Cruz, commander of Carrier Strike Group 3.
“All of this was made possible through the incredible hard work and dedication of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group sailors and Marines, who are reuniting with their loved ones in time for the holidays,” said Rear Adm. Adan Cruz, Commander, Carrier Strike Group 3.
Aviation Structural Mechanic 1st Class Kendall Meeks, from Sacramento, Calif., greets his family on the pier in front of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) on Dec. 20, 2024, in San Diego. (Glory Anderson/U.S. Navy)
In November, the USS Abraham Lincoln was the first U.S. aircraft carrier to visit Malaysia in more than a decade following a high-profile bribery scandal involving Leonard Glenn Francis — also known as “Fat Leonard” — who orchestrated a decade-long scheme to bribe U.S. Navy officials.
Units a part of the strike group including the USS Spruance and USS Michael Murphy also returned to their respective home ports in December from their scheduled deployments. The USS O’Kane and USS Stockdale remain deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations supporting global maritime security operations.
Sailors man the rails aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) as the ship arrives in San Diego, Dec. 20, 2024. (Adina Phebus/U.S. Navy)