The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier returns home to California Thursday, the Navy announced Friday, following a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea supporting the Iran war and intense scrutiny over ship conditions.
WATCH: Trump dismisses concerns over conditions on long-deployed USS Abraham Lincoln
Reports emerged of crew stress and poor mental health, as well as shortages of food and hygiene products. Democratic California Rep. Sara Jacobs said she recently visited the ship and spoke to sailors and Marines who shared stories of “their struggles to wash clothes, get medicine and health care, and eat enough food.”
President Donald Trump had downplayed reports about conditions on the Lincoln, which left its homeport in November, arrived in the Middle East in January, and spent a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 260 days.
WATCH: Trump says USS Lincoln’s deployment was ‘not nearly long enough’
In August, Trump said the sailors endured a “good period of time” but added that “over the years, we’ve had them out there much longer.”
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