Aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) has left the South China Sea and is now in the Indian Ocean, Navy officials confirmed to USNI News on Friday.
The carrier is bound for U.S. Central Command to relieve USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), which has been operating in the region since July as part of the U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian.
The Navy posted a timelapse video on Friday of the carrier moving through the Strait of Malacca off the coast of Singapore.
“What is it like for a 96,000 ton supercarrier to transit the world’s busiest maritime shipping route?” reads a post from the social media site X.
On Monday, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the carrier to “accelerate its transit” to the Middle East as regional tensions have risen following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month.
Sending Lincoln to CENTCOM is part of a slate of moves into the region that include additional guided-missile cruisers and destroyers.
What is it like for a 96,000 ton supercarrier to transit the world’s busiest maritime shipping route? 🧐
Here’s an accelerated view of #LincolnNation navigating the Strait of Malacca.
~25% of the world’s traded goods transit this body of water. #CSG3 #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific pic.twitter.com/eW0zsD38ii
— USS Abraham Lincoln (@CVN_72) August 16, 2024
Pentagon leaders also announced guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN-728) would move from the Mediterranean Sea to CENTCOM, however it’s unclear if the submarine has transited the Suez Canal. As of Thursday, the submarine was not yet in the Middle East, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters.
It’s also unclear if Lincoln and Roosevelt will operate in tandem or if Roosevelt will begin the transit home. TR departed San Diego in January and has been deployed for more than seven months. Since 2020, TR has been deployed for almost 540 days, according to USNI News’ carrier deployment database.
Lincoln deployed in June with Carrier Air Wing 9 embarked. Pentagon officials singled out the “Black Knights” of Marine Fighter Squadron (VMFA) 314 equipped with F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighters in their statements.
Meanwhile, carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) returned to San Diego this week after deploying to Hawaii for the Rim of the Pacific 2024 exercise, according to ship spotters.
Vinson deployed for 134 days from October to February and then departed from San Diego in June for RIMPAC.
