After more than 270 days deployed at sea, the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier fleet of the US Navy sailed into the port of Laem Chabang in Thailand on Wednesday morning. The port is located not far from the tourist destination of Pattaya.
The USS Abraham Lincoln left California in November 2025 for the South China Sea before being sent to the Middle East in February 2026 to carry out military operations against Iran. The deployment, originally scheduled to end in May, has been extended multiple times. So far, the aircraft carrier has been active in the Iran region for over 200 days.
According to Thai officials, escorted by other US Navy vessels, the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier will stay in Thailand – the only treaty ally of the United States in mainland Southeast Asia – for five days for rest and recovery.
The extended sea mission had raised concerns about the physical and mental well-being of the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln.
“We are all very excited to have Thailand as the first port of call for this historic deployment,” said Captain Dan Keeler in a statement, who is the commanding officer of the USS Abraham Lincoln.
“Arriving in Laem Chabang provides a well-deserved opportunity for our sailors and Navy Marines to rest and recuperate, demonstrating the solid and enduring partnership and alliance between the United States and Thailand,” said Rear Admiral Robert E. Loughran, the commander of the 3rd Carrier Strike Group.
In a statement, he expressed pride in the significant achievements of the strike group and the exceptional professionalism and expertise displayed by each team member during the operation.
Alongside the USS Abraham Lincoln in Thailand are two other US warships: the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. missile destroyer, docked not far from Laem Chabang at Sriracha, and the USS Robert Smalls missile cruiser, which arrived at Map Ta Phut east of Pattaya.
The port where the USS Abraham Lincoln is docking is adjacent to Pattaya, a well-known rest and relaxation destination during the Vietnam War, where US military personnel would unwind and release wartime pressure.
Situated north of U-Tapao, Pattaya is less than an hour’s drive away. During the Vietnam War, the U-Tapao Air Base hosted dozens of US B-52 bombers. The base allowed these eight-engine bombers to reach North Vietnam within 3 to 4 hours, significantly cutting down on flight time and fuel compared to Andersen Air Force Base on Guam, which was another major launch point for B-52s.
During the intense period of the Vietnam War, about 50,000 US troops were stationed at U-Tapao and other bases in Thailand.
As a US treaty ally, Thailand provided an ideal rest and recovery place for US troops fighting in Vietnam. Based on a report from the Institute of Labor Economics in 2017, between 11% and 16% of all visitors to Thailand in 1966 to 1967 were vacationing US military personnel from the Vietnam battlefield.
The arrival of several thousand US military personnel now has raised hopes in Pattaya for an economic boost. Mayor Poramet Ngampichet expressed that approximately 40 buses would form a convoy to transport military personnel between Pattaya and the port of Laem Chabang where the ships are docked.
He told Reuters, “Troops are prohibited from participating in some places and activities, such as various water sports, jet skiing, bungee jumping, wrestling, and boxing.”
According to the Associated Press, the mayor of Pattaya stated that he hopes the visit of the USS Abraham Lincoln will uplift the local economy.
“Making Pattaya an important holiday destination has always been our goal. We welcome the troops to visit more before returning to the United States, whether for exercises or leisure,” he said.