Sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln returned from an extended deployment only to face another major upheaval. The aircraft carrier and its crew are preparing to shift home port from San Diego, California, to Bremerton, Washington, by the end of the year.

The move follows a 10 month deployment that was extended twice and kept sailors away from home for 321 days. They spent 265 consecutive days at sea without a port call and conducted 40 days of combat operations against Iran.

The Navy established Dec. 31, 2026, as the administrative date for the home port change, a Navy spokesperson told Task & Purpose. As of Oct. 22, that benchmark was just 10 weeks away.

That timetable leaves sailors and their families navigating leave following the deployment while preparing for relocation. The carrier is moving to Washington for maintenance that the Navy described as having been planned for an extended period.

About 5,000 sailors served aboard the Lincoln during the deployment. Upon their return to San Diego, they received a Presidential Unit Citation for valor.

“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 deployment drew national scrutiny earlier this year after military families voiced concerns about deteriorating living conditions and sailors’ mental health. Navy and Pentagon officials initially disputed reports that the carrier was facing a crisis.

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Within days, however, the Navy 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.

Now, the planned move to Naval Base Kitsap presents another challenge for the sailors and families who endured the lengthy deployment. Family members raised their concerns at an August town hall in San Diego attended by Cao and other senior officials, according to Military Times.

Those family members expressed frustration about uncertainty surrounding the carrier’s impending relocation to Washington. The approaching administrative deadline places the move close behind the crew’s Oct. 8 return to San Diego.

Permanent change of station moves require military families to manage housing, employment, school enrollment and the transportation of their belongings. Task & Purpose reported in 2017 that some Navy families were receiving less than eight weeks of notice before relocating.

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That short notice left some families scrambling to arrange their moves and handle the financial burdens created by uprooting their households. More recently, the war with Iran has further complicated military relocations.

In March, Task & Purpose reported that disruptions to international shipping, increased security at military installations and rising transportation costs were creating additional difficulties. Those challenges affected families moving between duty stations, including moves within the United States.

For some Lincoln families, the relocation comes as sailors are still getting acquainted with children born during the deployment. Navy Times reported that 122 sailors from the Lincoln and its embarked air wing became fathers while they were away.

Those sailors met 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 who are 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.

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According to the Navy, that assistance includes standard permanent change of station benefits, including shipment and storage of household goods and travel allowances. Eligible sailors moving with dependents may receive as many as four proceed days.

Commanders also may authorize up to 10 days for house hunting, depending on operational requirements. Naval Base Kitsap and regional partners have established transition programs for incoming families, the Navy said.

Those programs include assistance with childcare and housing, along with a “Welcome to Kitsap” resource fair. The resources are intended to support families as they move from San Diego to Washington following one of the Lincoln crew’s longest stretches away from home described in the report.

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