Carrier swap and steam catapults mark Navy strain amid Iran ops

Sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln endured more than 260 consecutive days at sea while supporting combat operations against Iran, prompting the Navy to dispatch the USS George Washington as its replacement in the Middle East. The Lincoln’s extended presence, which began in November 2025 and included 10,000 aircraft flights and 1.5 million pounds of ordnance, coincided with reported shortages of mail and hygiene items after traditional supply routes were disrupted by fighting. The Navy stated it prioritized food and water first and later restored access to clean water and healthy meals, while Central Command described the crew as resilient.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said conditions aboard the carrier had been misrepresented and that crews would be rotated as quickly as possible. Democratic senators Richard Blumenthal and Ruben Gallego requested investigations and an oversight visit, citing concerns over mental health and prolonged separations from families. The Navy reported no observed increase in suicidal ideations but declined to release data for privacy and security reasons; one sailor went overboard in early August and received medical care after recovery.

Separately, President Trump signed a national security memorandum directing the Pentagon to develop a plan within 60 days for installing steam catapults and hydraulic weapons elevators on the USS Doris Miller, the fourth Ford-class carrier now under construction. The order does not require retrofitting existing ships. Trump has criticized the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System since 2017, citing past cost overruns and reliability shortfalls on the USS Gerald R. Ford. General Atomics, the EMALS manufacturer, warned that altering the Doris Miller design midway would add cost and schedule risk. The memorandum also invites consideration of foreign shipyard partnerships modeled on Finnish practices to accelerate U.S. construction.

The George Washington’s transit from Vietnam through the Strait of Malacca leaves the Pacific without a carrier for an unspecified period. The Lincoln originally was scheduled to return in May. Other carriers, including the Ford after its own 11-month deployment, have faced similar extended runs and equipment incidents during recent operations.