Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), the flagship of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 3, has returned to its home port of San Diego, following a 10-month deployment to US 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations.
USS Abraham Lincoln departed San Diego on November 21, 2025, for a 321-day deployment that took the aircraft carrier across the Pacific Ocean and through the San Bernardino Strait, Surigao Strait and Strait of Malacca, before operating in the South China Sea, Indian Ocean and North Arabian Sea.
During the deployment, the carrier traveled more than 93,000 nautical miles, conducted 72 replenishments at sea and received more than 20.5 million gallons of aviation fuel. Aircraft from Carrier Air Wing 9 (CVW-9) flew more than 13,000 sorties, totaling 28,500 flight hours.
“USS Abraham Lincoln and the entire Carrier Strike Group team set a new standard of excellence through their extraordinary conduct during this historic deployment,” said Rear Adm. Robert Loughran, commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 3.
After arriving in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR) in late January, the carrier and its strike group, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 3, spearheaded the U.S. Navy’s involvement in Operation Epic Fury.
CSG-3, centered on USS Abraham Lincoln, supported 40 days of major combat operations, during which Carrier Air Wing 9 (CVW-9) conducted nearly 4,000 combat sorties. US Task Force 50 units intercepted more than 100 Iranian drone and missile attacks and small-boat attacks against the force, according to the US Navy. CVW-9 aircraft delivered more than 1.5 million pounds of ordnance against thousands of targets as part of Operation Epic Fury.
Following the April 8 ceasefire between the US and Iran, the strike group conducted maritime blockade operations targeting Iranian-flagged vessels in the northern Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman, restricting the transport of Iranian oil and materials.
In response to Iran’s attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz in July, USS Abraham Lincoln and Carrier Air Wing 9 supported strikes against Iran’s coastal defense systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites. The carrier strike group subsequently supported a second naval blockade targeting Iranian shipping and ports. It departed the US Central Command area of responsibility on August 22 to begin its return transit to San Diego.
During the deployment, the aircraft carrier made overnight stops for supplies in Guam in December 2025 and September 2026, and in Duqm, Oman, in July 2026. The vessel also made a port call in Pattaya, Thailand, from September 2 to 6, 2026.
USS Abraham Lincoln is the fifth Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and is named in honor of the 16th President of the United States. Commissioned in November 1989, the carrier has deployed multiple times in more than 36 years of service, supporting evacuation efforts in the Philippines after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991, as well as Operations Restore Hope, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, Inherent Resolve, and Epic Fury.