Conflict · Iran WarUS Pulls Last Carrier From Pacific for Iran War as 240-Day Deployment Breaks RecordAired August 17, 2026 at 1:01 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00The United States is pulling its last0:02aircraft carrier [music] from the0:03Western Pacific to sustain the war0:05against Iran, leaving that theater0:07temporarily without a carrier.0:09>> [music]0:09>> The USS George Washington is leaving the0:11Western Pacific via Vietnam and heading0:13to the Persian Gulf in coming weeks to0:15relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln. The0:17decision concentrates naval power in the0:19Middle East as the Trump administration0:20[music]0:21prioritizes operations against Iran. The0:23Lincoln is a Nimitz-class carrier with0:25more than 5,000 personnel [music]0:27credited with more than 10,000 sorties0:29including about 40 days of combat near0:31the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian0:33Gulf. The Lincoln has remained0:34continuously at sea since its last port0:36[music] call at Guam in December, well0:38beyond a planned May return, now0:40exceeding 240 consecutive days. The0:43duration is described [music] as a0:44record, though published counts conflict0:46ranging from 200 to more than 2600:48[music] days. Families allege plumbing0:50failures, limited fresh food and water,0:52supply shortages, exhaustion, and a0:54mental health crisis, including [music]0:56attempts to go overboard. Officials0:58confirm one overboard incident last1:00month with the sailor quickly recovered1:02and intent under investigation,1:04acknowledge some supply delays hampered1:05by conflict and resupply near the1:07Strait. [music] And on August 14th, the1:09acting Navy secretary acknowledged a1:11small number of treated mental health1:12cases with no loss of life, while1:14denying an increase in suicidal ideation1:16or undue stress. [music] On Friday, the1:19president dismissed family concerns as1:21not valid and said the deployment was1:23not nearly long enough and that the ship1:24will move shortly to be replaced by a1:26similar ship. The George Washington left1:28port in Vietnam and is en route to the1:30Persian Gulf. While the Lincoln has been1:32on station without a port call since1:34Guam, creating the temporary gap.1:36>> [music]1:36>> With 11 carriers in the fleet and1:38typically only two or three deployed at1:40a time, the swap concentrates power in1:42the Middle East at the cost of a visible1:44gap in the Indo-Pacific. Accounts of the1:46defense secretary's position conflict1:48[music] with one saying he expressed1:50worry about the toll and others that he1:51called claims completely misrepresented.1:54While senators including Richard1:55Blumenthal demanded answers warning of1:57indefinite relief, maintenance strain on1:59both carriers, and weakened deterrence.2:01The gap has raised concern among Asian2:03allies and analysts say it creates an2:05opportunity for China to demonstrate2:07strength through exercises near Japan,2:09the Philippines, Indonesia, and2:10Scarborough Shoal, though they assess no2:12[music] indication of an imminent move2:14on Taiwan. It remains unresolved when2:16the George Washington will [music]2:17arrive, when the Lincoln will finally2:19make a port call and return, and how2:21crew fatigue and maintenance will be2:22addressed for both carriers.2:25Like and follow for more stories that2:26matter.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗Related coverageBackgroundOct 8 19:02 UTCTrump vows to protect LA and San Diego after remarks prompt threat monitoringBackgroundOct 8 16:44 UTCYemen’s fighting uproots 200,000 as airports come under attackBackgroundOct 2 13:00 UTCU.S. naval departures expand Iran options, but no new strike order is confirmed