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Chakrit Samithinan |
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Chakrit Samithinan |
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan) edited using AI
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan)
Report on vist of nuclear-powered Nimitz-class carrier “Abraham Lincoln” (CVN-72) to Laem Chabang and Pattaya, Thailand – 2nd to 6th September 2026
Due to recent publicity, mostly negative, about the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered USS Abraham Lincoln supercarrier and its prolonged mission in the Middle East near the Strait of Hormuz, the Lincoln must be by now the most talked about carrier of the U.S. Navy. The reasons for this are manifold: Firstly, the Lincoln was supposed to do duty in the Indo-Pacific area but was sent to the Middle East to support the ongoing conflict between the USA and Iran. Instead of patrolling the Indo-Pacific to show the American presence with an eye on China, the Lincoln was obliged to participate actively in the war between the USA and Iran. Secondly, the Lincoln which left the home base in San Diego in November 2025 and reached the Arabian Sea in February was forced to stay anchored off the Iranian Coast from end February until the second half of August which meant that the crew who was actively involved in combat activities, was unable to go ashore for rest anywhere during that time. Thirdly, press reports hinted that the morale of the crew aboard the Lincoln was taking a beating due to the exceedingly long time at sea and fourthly, reports about broken toilets and lack of certain food items were circulating widely, reports which were vehemently denied by both Trump and Hegseth. Also, the attempted suicide by jumping from the vessel into the sea by one of the crew members was making the rounds on social media. It was therefore a great relief for the crew and their dependents when the duties of the Lincoln were transferred to the USS George Washington (CVN-73) on 19. August and the Lincoln was finally on its way to a well-earned R & R in Pattaya, Thailand after the heavy operational strain and logistics challenges experienced during the 250 or so days when they were stationary in an active ware zone.
The Lincoln arrived in Thailand, more precisely at the harbor of Laem Chabang, in the early morning of 2. September 2026. While navigating its way to the mooring, observers immediately noticed that the hull of the Lincoln was rusty on numerous places and algae had deposited everywhere around the water line, making the appearance one of unexpected maintenance neglect. The commander of the vessel, Captain Dan Weeler later explained that it was normal for rust and algae to inhibit the outside of the vessel when anchored for such a long time and that cleaning operations will start immediately.
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan)
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan)
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan)
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan)
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan)
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan)
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan)
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan)
Meanwhile, the crew numbering roughly 5000 people was allowed to visit the nearby beach resort of Pattaya for rest and recreation and many sailors took this opportunity to spend a night or two in a plush hotel. Pattaya of course has a reputation of being a town catering among others to sex tourists. But there are also plenty of restaurants and bars around town to allow the crew to enjoy delicious Thai dishes and above all a totally different environment. Crew members who wanted to visit Pattaya town some 30 minutes away by car were transported by a number of special buses. Only a certain number of sailors were allowed into town at any one time but everybody got a chance to visit the place over the 4 full days spent in Thailand.
The writer visited the port of Laem Chabang on Friday, 4. September in order to get an eyeful of the carrier. The port of Laem Chabang is the busiest port in Thailand and three quarters of Thailand’s total maritime trade is channeled through this port. Several hundred container trucks are busy entering and leaving the port area every day. For this reason, even finding the place where the carrier was berthed was a real challenge. Unfortunately, strict security measures were in force and taking pictures was prohibited, even from a distance of 100 to 200 meters. The writer can’t understand such precautions as all that is visible from the carrier is the outside and some of the aircrafts parked on the deck - and this from quite far away. On social media, one can discover a lot more details than those that are visible from quite far away in Laem Chabang.
The writer nevertheless tried to take some pictures but this had to be done through the open window of a moving car. A soon as the car was stopping, security officers would arrive to check the vehicle and directing the vehicle to leave the area. The only time the writer left the car to take a picture from a distance of some 200 meters, a security officer on a motorcycle appeared within 10 seconds to warn him not to take any more pictures. At least they did not ask for the camera to delete the pictures already taken.
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan)
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan)
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan)
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan)
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan)
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan)
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan)
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan)
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan)
(Picture courtesy Chakrit Samithinan)
Picture taking was a real challenge as the carrier was obstructed by parked cars, containers, cranes and ugly fences. For this reason, some of the pictures in this report were edited by Google Gemini AI to remove the various obstructions that were encountered. This is the first time the writer edited pictures by AI and he has mixed feelings about the results. Several of the edited pictures appear somewhat sterile as part of the natural environment is missing. This concerns in particular the pictures taken from further away. There is however no negative impact on close-up photos.
Following the visit to the port of Laem Chabang, the writer visited the town of Pattaya but the number of sailors roaming the town was negligible. But then for most people, the attractions of Pattaya come to the forefront only at night, and social media showed fairly large numbers of sailors roaming the streets or enjoying Thai delicacies during the evening and night hours when the temperatures were somewhat more agreeable. It is interesting to note that Thai shop sellers were advised by the city council not to overcharge the visitors and it appears that they largely followed this recommendation. Also, drunken sailors were seldom to be seen and a large contingent of policemen were making sure that the goings-on remained civilized.
The Abraham Lincoln left Laem Chabang on 6. September 2026 at 11.00 hours and the final destination is the home port of San Diego. For operational and security reasons, no intermediary stops were announced but it is likely that they will visit one more port before reaching San Diego.
In conclusion, fact is that the Abraham Lincoln is the carrier which spent the longest time of any carriers on an assignment including combat operations without having any rest- or recreation break for the crew. While this strain had some undesirable effects on many crew members, it is the view by the sitting USA President that the 286 days without a break or port call was not nearly long enough. Suffice to say that the crew of the Lincoln will certainly have a different view.
