As fighting flares up in the Middle East, the San Diego-based USS Abraham Lincoln has set an aircraft carrier record by operating over 210 days at sea without a port visit.
The nuclear-powered supercarrier, which is patrolling in the Arabian Sea amid new strikes on Iran, left San Diego on Nov. 21, docked in Guam for one day on Dec. 12 and has been at sea ever since.
The milestone was reported by multiple military and shipping publications. While it’s the longest at-sea stretch for a carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford holds the overall deployment record at 368 days.
The Lincoln and its crew of 5,000 have spent months on station in the Arabian Sea supporting U.S. military operations against Iran and in support of open navigation.
The carrier is operating along with another nuclear-powered supercarrier, the USS George HW Bush, and at least 20 other warships, many from San Diego.
The U.S. has reimposed a naval blockade on Iran and intensified airstrikes in retaliation for Iran’s attacks on ships trying to pass through the vital Strait of Hormuz. The latest strikes have included aircraft from the Lincoln, according to video released by Centcom.
Days of back-and-forth strikes by the U.S. and Iran across the Middle East have broken a shaky ceasefire and could plunge the region back into all-out war.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
