USS Abraham Lincoln Arrives in Thailand For First Port Call in 265 Days
After 265 days, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) has made a port call. On Wednesday, Abraham Lincoln pulled into Laem Chabang, Thailand, according to ship spotters. It is the first port call for the carrier since Dec. 11, when it stopped in Guam ahead of its deployment to the Western Pacific and then the Middle East. Lincoln’s escorts, USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) and USS Robert Smalls (CG-62), docked at Sriracha and Map Ta Phut, respectively, on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported. A ship spotter also saw Frank E. Petersen Jr. coming into Laem Chabang. The Associated Press caught sailors
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) arrives in Laem Chabang, Thailand, Sept. 2, 2026. US Navy photo After 265 days, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) has made a port call.
On Wednesday, Abraham Lincoln pulled into Laem Chabang, Thailand, according to ship spotters. It is the first port call for the carrier since Dec. 11, when it stopped in Guam ahead of its deployment to the Western Pacific and then the Middle East.
Lincoln’s escorts, USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) and USS Robert Smalls (CG-62), docked at Sriracha and Map Ta Phut, respectively, on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported. A ship spotter also saw Frank E. Petersen Jr. coming into Laem Chabang.
The Associated Press caught sailors leaving the ship and heading toward the beach town of Pattaya carrying duffel bags and backpacks, according to photos published by the news service.
Pattaya city officials met with U.S. Navy security teams ahead of the sailors’ arrivals, according to The Pattaya News. While not all sailors will visit the beach town – some might head off to Bangkok – about 60 percent of the more than 5,000 personnel are expected to head to Pattaya.
Sailors will be banned from certain areas of the city, cannabis shops, pharmacies and water-based activities. While sailors may peruse Walking Street, Pattaya’s most notorious red-light district, they must leave by 2 a.m., according to the local outlet.
“Officials stressed that agencies and businesses must help prevent sexual exploitation and Navy security teams will remind sailors that the commercial sex trade is illegal. Pattaya business operators were asked to provide fair service, avoid overcharging tourists and put safety first,” reads the story.
Sailors could spend an average of $100 to $150 per day, according to The New York Times.
Pattaya has a reputation for sex tourism, according to the AP. Prostitution is illegal in Thailand, but it is seldom enforced, and penalties are minimal, The New York Times reported. Paying for sex is also illegal under the Uniformed Code of Military Justice.
The beach town’s reputation for sex tourism extends back to the Vietnam War and the American troops that flocked to it, according to the AP.
Once the port visit wraps, the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group will head toward home, a trip that will likely take around a month, putting the carrier in its homeport around late September or early October, USNI News previously reported.
The strike group has already been deployed for 285 days, according to USNI News’ carrier database. The strike group is on track to have completed the second longest deployment since the Vietnam War.
