New aircraft carrier heads toward Mideast after reports of issues on long-deployed USS Lincoln

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pacific-based aircraft carrier USS George Washington has begun heading toward the Middle East, according to Navy statements and open source information on the ship's movements.

This comes as reports have emerged of mental health and supply issues aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, whose long deployment to the Middle East in support of the Iran war includes a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days.

The USS George Washington left port in Da Nang, Vietnam, last week, according to a Navy statement. The carrier, along with a cruiser and a destroyer, have since been spotted crossing the Singapore Strait.

A Navy official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to detail sensitive ship movements, confirmed that the USS George Washington was in the Strait of Malacca, which links the Pacific and Indian oceans. That puts the ship on a course to head into the Indian Ocean. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that the Washington would replace the Lincoln.

The Lincoln is one of two aircraft carriers now stationed in the Middle East as the conflict simmers and the Navy imposes a blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for the global oil and natural gas trade.

The carrier originally deployed Nov. 21 from San Diego, and it arrived in the region in January, ahead of the launch of the Iran war on Feb. 28. The Navy conceded that the conflict created a “highly contested environment where traditional supply hubs in the Middle East were disrupted by combat actions." That, in turn, led to shortages and loss of mail aboard the aircraft carrier, the Navy said in a statement.

“Leadership prioritized mission-critical supplies: first food, then hygiene items, then mail,” the statement said, before assuring that sailors aboard the ship now have access to clean water and “healthy meal options.”

Several Democratic lawmakers have released statements calling for investigations, more information and greater visibility into conditions aboard the USS Lincoln.

“The Lincoln’s prolonged deployment is especially significant because it is occurring in the context of continuing military operations against Iran and the possibility that substantial US naval forces will be required in the region for an extended period,” Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal wrote in his letter to Navy leadership.

Navy leaders, including acting Secretary Hung Cao, last week held a tense town hall for families of the USS Lincoln at which the commanders of the Navy’s air and surface forces promised to do everything they could to relieve the aircraft carrier. MS Now reported earlier on the meeting.

When reports of food shortages aboard the ship surfaced in April, the Navy pushed back, calling those reports “false.”

Other carriers also have had long runs that have raised concerns about morale. The USS Gerald R. Ford returned home in mid-May after an 11-month deployment , the longest since the Vietnam War, that had it support the U.S. war with Iran and the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.