PATTAYA, Thailand — Buses carrying crew members of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier streamed into Thailand’s seaside resort city of Pattaya on Thursday, as part of a port call after a lengthy deployment to the Middle East. The Lincoln was supporting the U.S. war against Iran, and its deployment included a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 260 days. Its lengthy deployment drew concerns last month about deteriorating mental health among the crew as well as shortages of key food supplies aboard. The U.S. navy downplayed any problems, and U.S. President Donald Trump commented that the deployment was “not nearly long enough.” The ship has been deployed for a total of 286 days, according to the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok. Its total uninterrupted time at sea before Wednesday’s arrival in Chonburi province was 264 days. The ship is expected to depart Thailand this weekend and continue its journey back to the U.S. After clambering down from buses, laden with luggage, several service members told The Associated Press they were excited to be in Thailand. Vendors and travel agents gathered outside the Hard Rock Hotel, the designated pickup and drop-off point for troops travelling from the Lincoln, which is docked nearby at Laem Chabang port. They swarmed service members as they arrived, offering a range of souvenirs and services. Many sailors waved them away while waiting for their rides. Two other ships from the Lincoln’s strike group are docked elsewhere in Thailand, with the destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. at Chonburi’s Sriracha port and the cruiser USS Robert Smalls in Map Ta Phut in neighbouring Rayong province. A-ngoon Sombat travelled 200 kilometres between Pattaya and the central province of Ayutthaya to sell colourful braided bracelets to the visiting crew, as she does every time she hears a U.S. ship is coming for a port call in Chonburi province. She set up opposite the hotel entrance and had managed to make some sales, but said she is still unsure if business will be good this week. “There are many vendors around. It’s really up to how lucky each of us are,” she said. Ship crews take shelter from heat in a mall Dozens of service members could be spotted strolling around Pattaya’s Terminal 21 mall with shopping bags in their hands as the afternoon sun was blazing outside. A 20-year-old serving as a navigator aboard the Petersen, who declined to give his name because he was told not to speak to media while ashore, said the morale among his crew members was really high now that they had arrived in Thailand. The sailor said it was his first deployment for the U.S. navy. He said it was a bit of an ordeal but he was happy to finally be on his way home. He declined to comment when asked about the reports about the conditions on the Lincoln. Small crowd gathers to spot the Lincoln A spot just outside the Laem Chabang port had turned into a small attraction by Wednesday evening, as people gathered to catch a glimpse of the Lincoln. People arrived by car and motorcycle to peer through a mesh fence at the ship, which is as long as about three American football fields. They took photos and videos, excitedly chatted with strangers about their chance to see the vessel. American Keith Eldridge, who has lived in Thailand for five years, travelled from the neighbouring province of Chachoengsao just to see the ship. He was too late to catch the Lincoln docking but found the viewing spot through a recommendation from other enthusiasts he met along the way. He said it was impressive for him to get to lay his eyes on this “engineering marvel.” “When you get to look at something so big, wrapped up with so much technology, the radars, the sonars, the weapon systems, the propulsion systems, it is truly amazing that we can build it, float it, and we fight from it,” he said. The Lincoln’s commanding officer, Capt. Dan Keeler, said the ship will be heading home soon, but may make further supply stops. He declined to comment on the exact date the strike group is expected back in the U.S. Jintamas Saksornchai And Anton L. Delgado, The Associated Press
