USS Abraham Lincoln crew prepares for base move weeks after extended deployment

After a 10-month deployment that was extended twice, including 40 days of combat operations against Iran that kept sailors at sea for 265 days without a port call, the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln and their families are preparing to move to a new base just weeks after arriving home. 

By the end of this year, the aircraft carrier will shift its home port from San Diego, California, to Bremerton, Washington, for long-planned maintenance, a Navy spokesperson told Task & Purpose. The Navy has set Dec. 31, 2026, as the administrative date for the change.

As of Oct. 22, the Navy’s Dec. 31 administrative benchmark is just 10 weeks away, as sailors and their families navigate post-deployment leave and preparations for relocation. 

The 5,000 sailors aboard the Lincoln spent 321 days away from home, including 40 days in combat, and were awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for valor upon their return to San Diego.

“This will be a deliberate pause from high-tempo operational tasking to focus on restoring material readiness, upgrading warfighting capabilities, and preparing the carrier and its crew for future tasks,” a Navy spokesperson told Task & Purpose.

The carrier’s extended deployment drew national scrutiny earlier this year after military families raised concerns about deteriorating living conditions and sailors’ mental health. Navy and Pentagon officials initially disputed reports of a crisis, though within days the service began sending additional mental health support personnel to the carrier. The following month, acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao confirmed that eight sailors across the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group had attempted suicide during the deployment.

The long-planned home port change from San Diego to Naval Base Kitsap in Washington now presents another challenge for sailors and their families. At an August town hall in San Diego, family members expressed frustration to acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao and other senior officials about uncertainty surrounding the carrier’s impending move to Washington, according to Military Times.

Permanent change of station moves have long presented challenges for military families, who must navigate housing, employment, school enrollment and the logistics of transporting their belongings between duty stations. In 2017, Task & Purpose reported that Navy families were receiving less than eight weeks’ notice to relocate, leaving some scrambling to arrange moves and manage the financial burdens of uprooting their households.

More recently, the war with Iran has complicated military relocations. In March, Task & Purpose reported that disruptions to international shipping, heightened security at military installations and rising transportation costs were creating additional challenges for families moving between duty stations, including within the United States.

For some families, the relocation comes as sailors are getting to know children born during their deployment. According to Navy Times, 122 sailors from the Lincoln and its embarked air wing became fathers while deployed, meeting their children for the first time when the carrier returned to San Diego on Oct. 8.

It remains unclear how many of those families will relocate to Washington with infants less than a year old. 

“Abraham Lincoln sailors and their families are moving to Bremerton individually, with full support from the chain of command and permanent change of station resources,” a Navy spokesperson told Task & Purpose.

That support, according to the Navy, includes standard PCS benefits such as the shipment and storage of household goods and travel allowances. Eligible sailors relocating dependents may receive up to four proceed days, while commanders may authorize up to 10 days of house-hunting time, subject to operational requirements.

The Navy also said Naval Base Kitsap and regional partners have established transition programs for incoming families, including childcare support, housing assistance and a “Welcome to Kitsap” resource fair.