The USS Abraham Lincoln, the US aircraft carrier that took part in the Iran war in the Middle East, has completed its mission. Carrying roughly 5,000 sailors and crew members, the carrier set sail for San Diego, United States, yesterday, Thursday. It had been deployed on military operations for nine months.
Meanwhile, to maintain US military presence in the Middle East, the USS George Washington, an aircraft carrier previously deployed in Japan, has taken over from the Abraham Lincoln.
A US official confirmed the Abraham Lincoln’s departure from the Middle East. Earlier, US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Admiral Brad Cooper had hinted at the carrier’s departure in an opinion piece published in The Wall Street Journal last Sunday. Addressing the Abraham Lincoln, he wrote: “Safe travels. See loved ones soon.”
The Abraham Lincoln was deployed to the Middle East as part of the US military campaign against Iran. However, in recent weeks, several reports were published about sailors’ living conditions and various problems aboard the ship.
These problems, it was reported, arose from a supply-chain crisis that emerged after Iranian strikes destroyed a US naval base in Manama, Bahrain. The base had been an important supply hub for the US Navy.
The Abraham Lincoln set sail from San Diego on November 21 last year. In the 272 days since, the carrier took a break from being at sea only twice — briefly at Guam in December, and in Oman to take on supplies.
For nearly the entire 272 days, several thousand sailors aboard the ship remained at sea. They had no days off to rest. They must now travel roughly 13,000 nautical miles by sea to return home, which could take four to five weeks.
Democratic Party lawmakers have cited shortages of everyday necessities, water contamination, sewage system problems, and deteriorating mental health among sailors aboard the ship. However, Admiral Cooper, in his opinion piece, described many of these problems as old news.
In a post yesterday, Central Command said the USS George Washington had arrived in the Middle East and began operations under Central Command from Wednesday. The US Navy has roughly 20 warships deployed in the Middle East outside the Persian Gulf. Among these are two Navy “carrier strike” groups, centered on the USS George H W Bush and George Washington.
There is also an “amphibious ready” group, which includes a Marine Expeditionary Unit. There are also several destroyers enforcing President Trump’s imposed blockade program on Iranian ports.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report