Supercarrier USS Abraham Lincoln Passes 200 Consecutive Days At Sea Mark

Summary

The USS Abraham Lincoln, a Nimitz-class supercarrier and flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3, has surpassed 200 consecutive days at sea while supporting Operation Epic Fury and enforcing a naval blockade against Iran in the northern Arabian Sea. The carrier departed Naval Base San Diego on November 21, 2025, made only a brief one-day stop in Guam on December 12, and has remained continuously at sea since, with most crew members unlikely to have gone ashore during that short port call. The ship and its strike group of over 5,000 sailors and marines played a central combat role, with CVW-9 launching thousands of sorties, DESRON 21 firing dozens of Tomahawk missiles against Iran, and the group successfully enforcing the Strait of Hormuz blockade during what is described as a 40-day war. While a Memorandum of Understanding was signed on June 17 to begin drawing down forces, recent exchanges of retaliatory strikes between the U.S. and Iran have introduced significant uncertainty about the future of negotiations and a potential final deal. If confirmed by the Navy, Lincoln's 200-plus consecutive days at sea would surpass the previous modern carrier record set by USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which spent 206 consecutive days at sea in 2020 largely due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.