US carrier Abraham Lincoln departs Thailand after five-day port stop

The U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln departed Thailand on Sunday, finishing a five-day visit to the resort city of Pattaya. Carrying about 5,000 sailors and Marines, the ship arrived earlier in the week with other U.S. vessels, marking a brief pause in an extended deployment that has seen it operate in the Middle East and take part in the U.S. naval blockade and combat actions in the war with Iran.

Captain Dan Keeler, the commanding officer, expressed gratitude to the Thai people for their hospitality. While typical naval tours last six to nine months, periods of conflict can extend them further. Democratic lawmakers have highlighted the carrier’s record-setting consecutive days at sea. The departure ends the United States’ only treaty-partner stop in mainland Southeast Asia.