The USS Abraham Lincoln has docked at a Thailand resort town following an extended deployment of more than 200 days, during which some sailors attempted to jump ship amid treacherous conditions onboard the ship.
The US Navy aircraft carrier stopped in the resort city of Pattaya on Wednesday, where the 5,000 sailors and Marines on board will have the chance to unwind before heading back to the United States, the Navy announced.
It marks a much-needed break for the American servicemembers, who had been at sea since November 21 amid the war in Iran.
Officials in the city are now hoping it will become an ‘important vacation spot’ for US service members in the future, Newsweek reports.
‘We welcome more visits of the troops in the future, whether for a drill or a vacation, before they go back to the US,’ Mayor Poramase Ngampichet is said to have told American military officials.
To prepare for the influx of sailors, authorities stepped up security, adding more police officers in popular areas along the beach and in the bustling downtown area.
Pattaya had started off as a fishing village, but became a tourism center during the Vietnam War, when US servicemembers were stationed nearby.
It has since developed a reputation for sex tourism, but ahead of the ship’s arrival on Wednesday, authorities in the city launched a crackdown on prostitution.
Police raids over the weekend saw 40 to 50 people detained with additional patrols in place for the main beachfront and nightlife district, the Independent reports.
Ngampichet denied the crackdown on sex work was linked to US arrivals.
But after speaking with American military officials, he said he agreed to prohibit US service members from engaging in certain recreational activities like parasailing and cannabis use, which was legalized in Thailand in 2022, according to the Guardian.
Meanwhile, business owners across the city eager awaited the arrival of the sailors, with some businesses displaying banners reading: ‘Welcome all US military personnel. Thank you for your service’ and ‘All Welcome’ next to a silhouette of the aircraft carrier.
The ship’s arrival in Thailand comes just weeks after the USS George Washington was forced to abandon its post in the Pacific Ocean to relieve the strained sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The sailors onboard had reportedly experienced horrific conditions that led some service members to experience suicidal ideation due to dwindling morale.
But President Donald disputed the claim last month as US Central Command commander Admiral Brad Cooper visited the aircraft carrier.
He called the crew onboard a ‘strong team of high-achieving Americans standing tall with immense, justified pride in everything they accomplished.’
‘History will record this deployment as one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era,’ Cooper said in a statement.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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