After six years based in San Diego, the USS Abraham Lincoln is preparing to leave for a new homeport in Bremerton, Washington, marking a major change for the aircraft carrier’s crew and their families.
The Navy announced Monday that the carrier will leave San Diego before the end of the year and move to Naval Base Kitsap for scheduled maintenance. The announcement comes just days after the Lincoln returned home from one of its longest deployments.
The carrier has been based at Naval Air Station North Island since 2020. While the move is tied to maintenance needed to keep the ship ready for future missions, it will also mean a permanent change of station for crew members and their families.
The USS Abraham Lincoln returned to San Diego on Oct. 8 after 321 days away. Thousands of sailors and Marines came home following a deployment that included months of combat operations in the Middle East.
The lengthy deployment also raised concerns about conditions aboard the ship and the mental health of crew members.
Now, with the carrier preparing to relocate, some families could face another major transition, including leaving their homes, moving children to new schools and finding new jobs.
“I think any move can be stressful. It can cause anxiety. There’s a lot of moving parts,” said Tracy Owens, who served in the Navy for 30 years and has experienced a similar move herself.
“My family stayed in Virginia while I went to Bremerton. So that meant coming home like every other month for a couple [of] days to see my son, who was quite small at the time.”
Owens now works with Support The Enlisted Project, or STEP, a nonprofit that helps military families facing financial challenges. The organization provides financial counseling, food, diapers and other essential resources.
As Lincoln families prepare for the move, STEP says its services will continue to be available in Washington state.
“We moved up there about six years ago and expanded our services to include the state of Washington. So our team’s already up there for the families that have already arrived, and they’ve already hosted a couple of events to help them and welcome them to Washington.”
Owens said STEP is already working with military leadership and community partners in both California and Washington to help families navigate the transition.
The organization’s support could be especially important for families facing the financial and logistical challenges that often come with a permanent change of station.
The Navy has not announced an exact date for when the USS Abraham Lincoln will leave San Diego or how long the scheduled maintenance in Bremerton will take.
Officials also have not said where the carrier will be based after the maintenance is complete.