USS Abraham Lincoln Passes Through Singapore Strait En route to Thailand

Sam LaGrone – August 30, 2026 7:21 PM

Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) passed through the Singapore Strait on Saturday en route to a planned port visit in Thailand, according to ship spotters.

Several photographers saw Lincoln’s late-night transit past the city on the way to the South China Sea. The carrier and Japan-based escort guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG-62) were seen on Friday transiting the Strait of Malacca.

According to press reports, the crew of Lincoln, the embarked Carrier Air Wing 9 and some escorts are expected to pull into Eastern Thailand for a port visit. U.S. carriers have previously pulled into the deep-water port at Laem Chabang.

Photos show aircraft on the flight deck silhouetted as the aircraft carrier sailed through the strait. Lincoln has been operating in U.S. Indo-Pacific Command for about a week after almost seven months in U.S. Central Command without a declared port call.

Japan-based carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) arrived in U.S. Central Command earlier this month to join USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) operating in the Arabian Sea.

Lincoln’s transit comes as the Navy is planning for longer deployments to support operations in the Middle East. As of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel, carrier deployments have averaged 8.5 months, according to the USNI News carrier deployment database.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman told reporters last week the familles and crew of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group were prepared for a longer deployment.

“[Sailors] will go do really hard things for me without really batting an eye because they like that part of it. But we do have to be able, when possible, to stick to schedules and be very honest, like we are with Roosevelt,” Perryman said. “They know they’re going to be there longer than seven months. Their [commanding officer] is giving them eight months to plan on.”

Sam LaGrone

Sam LaGrone is the editor of USNI News. He has covered legislation, acquisition and operations for the Sea Services since 2009 and spent time underway with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the Canadian Navy.
Email: slagrone@usni.org
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