Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln Makes Brief Stop in Guam

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, escorted by the Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Peterson Jr., made a brief stop in Guam last weekend. The US Navy acknowledged it was the first return to American soil for the personnel of Carrier Strike Group 3 in nine months without disclosing the plans for the ships.

Lincoln has now exceeded 300 days (302 at last count) on deployment after having departed San Diego, California, on November 21, 2025. The official statement from the Navy is that Lincoln and Peterson “returned to the U.S. Pacific Command area of responsibility after nearly seven months operating in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.” They said the carrier and destroyer are “conducting routine operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.”

The ships are just three weeks shy of the mark set by the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, which was deployed for 326 days before returning to Virginia in May. Ford was said to have set a record for post-Cold War deployments, except for the vessels during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Navy now reports the stop in Guam was a brief logistics call, but the carrier group personnel were afforded on-base liberty. Stars & Stripes reports there was a country music concert for the sailors during the stopover in Guam.

From the flight deck arriving in Guam on Saturday (USN)

The carrier group arrived on September 19, and Stars & Stripes reports they departed the following day. It quotes a spokesperson for the Carrier Strike Group saying the stop at Apra was to load stores, mail, and equipment.

It was the second time this deployment the carrier had been in Guam. It made a brief stop in December 2025 just before it was deployed to the Arabian Sea. Lincoln ended up spending 208 consecutive days at sea and 200 days in the combat zone. It made a brief logistics stop in Oman in late July, according to Stars & Stripes. The carrier group then made its first port call in Thailand between September 2 and 6, after leaving the combat zone.

It is widely believed the carrier is heading toward San Diego, with USNI News speculating it will arrive back on the US West Coast “early next month.” The spokesperson told Stars & Stripes that 13 Fleet and Family counselors are now aboard the carrier to aid with their return and reunions with family and friends. Concerns had been raised by many about the mental state and welfare of the crew after the long period in the combat zone and lack of a break in port.

USNI News reports that the Navy recently told the sailors aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt to prepare for a long deployment to the Middle East. The carrier group is expected to get underway this fall, while USNI News reports that the escorts USS Spruance and USS Michael Murphy that were traveling with Abraham Lincoln separated from the Strike Group and remain in the Arabian Sea.