USS Abraham Lincoln: 450 Tomahawks and 3,693 sorties in the Iran war, homecoming after a record stretch at sea

The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group launched 450 Tomahawk cruise missiles in operations against Iran, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said during a visit to the ship. The carrier returned to San Diego on Thursday, October 8, after a deployment of more than 260 consecutive days at sea without a port call, a record according to the Pentagon.

Hegseth’s figures

Hegseth said the strike group flew 3,693 combat sorties and dropped or fired 1.37 million pounds of ordnance between February and August, with 40 consecutive days of combat in Operation Epic Fury from February 28, followed by participation in the blockade of Iran around the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the secretary, the group shot down 77 one-way attack drones, sank 64 Iranian warships and destroyed 21 anti-ship cruise missiles, while also facing fast attack craft and wooden boats loaded with explosives. All sorties were completed without an aircraft mishap. Hegseth presented the crew with a unit commendation on behalf of President Trump for its actions in the war. The deployment had drawn criticism after the Navy reported eight suicide attempts by sailors in the strike group, and the secretary accused the media of portraying the crew as a symbol of dysfunction.

Record time at sea

The stretch at sea exceeds the previous record of 206 consecutive days, set by USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in 2020. The Lincoln has previously completed deployments of 294 days (2019-2020) and 290 days (2002-2003). It was replaced in the Middle East in August by USS George Washington. The figures on Iranian losses come from the US side and have not been independently confirmed.