San Diego-based USS Abraham Lincoln may soon be relieved after nearly nine months at sea, as sailors and their families describe mounting fatigue, uncertainty and difficult conditions aboard the aircraft carrier. Lincoln has roughly 5,000 service members who have been an integral part of military operations since the start of the war against Iran on Feb. 28.  An active-duty Navy sailor who served aboard the Lincoln from its Nov. 21 deployment until last month, when his one-year orders were up, described to NBC 7 how the uncertainty about when the crew would return home impacted the crew. He asked to remain anonymous. “I think the big theme here is uncertainty,” he said, “and that’s kind of, really, what makes this really difficult.” The sailor said he was able to leave because his orders ran from July to July. He said he now feels immense guilt over returning home while so many others remain aboard the ship. “At one point, whatever it is we’re doing out there in Iran, at first it was Operation Epic Fury, then it got the name changed to the blockade ops, and we were blockading their blockade. Eventually the nickname ‘operation someday’ came about,” he said.  He described that nickname, which came after the news of their extension, as a turning point. “I think for me, personally, that was kind of that turning point of, ‘oh my God. This is never going to end.” USS Abraham Lincoln Sailor The wife of an officer who has served for 20 years and is now aboard the Lincoln also described the toll of not knowing when the deployment will end. She said she could recall only one of her husband’s previous deployments being extended, and that extension lasted just a few weeks with a return date still planned. “That’s all these sailors and families want. We just want a date on the calendar. We need something to look forward to and we don’t have that. That’s just what’s maddening for everybody. There’s no plan,” she told NBC 7. She also asked to remain anonymous.  More than a dozen sailors, family members and close friends of sailors described difficult conditions aboard the Lincoln to NBC 7, including reports of food shortages, limited water for showers, shortages of basic hygiene products and slow mail service, among other things.  Those concerns have also become part of discussions in Washington, where members of Congress are pressing for more transparency about conditions aboard the carrier. Mike Levin, the U.S. Representative for California’s 49th district that encompasses Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, penned a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao along with the other members of San Diego’s delegation including Representatives Sara Jacobs, who is on the House Armed Services Committee, Scott Peters and Juan Vargas. There are also calls for a bipartisan oversight visit to the ship.  The fiancée of one Lincoln sailor shared photos and messages with NBC 7 detailing his experience. She said he left for their deployment in November and told her that, within a month of the start of Operation Epic Fury, he had lost nearly 50 pounds amid a lack of calories. “When everything first started, he was working 18-hour shifts and he only had six hours to get some sleep or to eat and sometimes by the time he got to the food, there was nothing left,” she said. She also asked to remain anonymous.  She said multiple packages she sent took months to arrive, including one containing basic items such as deodorant and toothpaste that her fiancé told her were no longer available in the ship’s store. A message shared with NBC 7 sent from a USS Abraham Lincoln sailor to his fiancée. March 2026. She also shared a message he sent in March after they had been unable to communicate for about a month. He wrote, “Today isn’t really a good day mentally. I’m exhausted. I’m tired of this place. I’m tired of the people. I’m tired of the operation.” The Lincoln sailor who NBC 7 spoke to directly said dining options on the ship varied by which food hall they would eat at, along with rank, and timing. He said some days it would be good, with options, others it would be bad. He said the hygiene supplies he had access to along with restroom and shower access was similar.  Above all else, the worst part, he said, was not knowing when they were coming home.   USS George Washington is expected to relieve the Lincoln. The Pacific-based aircraft carrier has already begun heading toward the Middle East, a Navy statement said. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less