The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier arrived this Wednesday at the port of Laem Chabang in the Gulf of Thailand, after nearly ten months at sea. Its appearance astounded those who witnessed the arrival. The hull of the ship, nearly 335 meters long, showed signs of rust from bow to stern.
CNN published an analysis on the condition of the ship after spending 286 days at sea. The vessel set sail from its base in San Diego in November 2025.
The deployment included months of combat operations and blockades against Iran in the Middle East. This is the modern U.S. aircraft carrier that has spent the longest continuous time at sea.
Corrosion, inevitable after almost a year in saltwater
The consulted experts emphasized that the condition of the ship is not surprising given the time that has passed. Carl Schuster, a former captain of the United States Navy with three tours of duty on Nimitz-class aircraft carriers like the Lincoln, explained that "the presence of rust along the waterline is not unusual in a ship that has spent 60 days or more in continuous operations at sea."
Schuster detailed that removing accumulated corrosion requires a process that cannot be performed offshore, especially during combat operations. It is necessary to lower workers to the waterline, sand down the rust, and apply two layers of anti-corrosive primer followed by two layers of naval gray paint.
His estimate is that "about 30 days of conservation work are needed to eliminate all the rust."
During the stopover in Thailand —scheduled to last several days, with an estimated departure between September 6 and 7— only the most critical areas will be addressed.
"First, the rust on the bow and the front area of the hull will be addressed, as these are the parts that suffer the most when the boat is in motion," the expert noted.
Schuster also warned about the risks of ignoring the problem. "Rust is like a contagious disease. It spreads. Therefore, it's better to combat it in time to contain it rather than face a much greater issue later on." Corrosion, he added, "weakens any steel structure it attacks," including decks, walkways, and lifelines.
A historic display marked by controversy
The long time at sea not only left its mark on the ship's hull. Throughout the deployment, issues of morale, shortages of supplies, and plumbing failures were reported on board.
On August 3, a sailor fell overboard but was rescued in less than an hour. The crew, which numbers around 5,680 people, arrives in Thailand to enjoy their first full period of rest after months of operations.
The Lincoln also set a historic record for continuous deployment of a modern U.S. aircraft carrier, surpassing the 206 consecutive days at sea established by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in 2020.
In April of this year, the Lincoln was part of an unprecedented deployment of three aircraft carriers simultaneously in the Middle East, the first since 2003, before being relieved by the USS George Washington in August.
The president Donald Trump downplayed concerns about the conditions of the deployment and stated that "it was not even close to being long enough."
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