San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln quietly leaves on deployment

Gary Robbins, The San Diego Union-Tribune on Nov 25, 2025

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SAN DIEGO — The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln left San Diego on deployment Friday with virtually no fanfare and a mission that has yet to be publicly defined by the Navy.

The Abe, as many call it, was accompanied by the Burke-class destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen and is expected to be joined by other warships in the coming days.

The Lincoln will eventually relieve the carrier USS Nimitz, a 50-year-old flattop that is wrapping up the final deployment of its career.

For security reasons, it’s common for the Navy to say little or nothing when a carrier deploys. But word often quickly surfaces as to whether a San Diego carrier will be going to the Indo-Pacific or the Middle East.

There’s also been elevated interest in carriers recently because President Donald Trump, in a high-profile move, dispatched the world’s largest carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, to the Caribbean region as tension continues to build with Venezuela.

The Lincoln’s last deployment ended on Dec. 20, after a long mission to the Indo-Pacific and Middle East.

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