Why USS Abraham Lincoln’s shocking rusty look is normal after 286 days at sea
Naval experts explain that tackling extensive rust along the waterline is impossible during sustained combat operations and requires significant preservation work in port
The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln docked in Thailand after a prolonged 286-day deployment, revealing significant rust and wear indicative of its extensive time at sea and engagement in combat operations. Experts explained that the ship's weathered condition is normal for such long deployments where comprehensive maintenance is not feasible. The upcoming port visit will allow for critical repairs, focusing on the most exposed parts of the hull.
The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln docked in Thailand after a prolonged 286-day deployment, revealing significant rust and wear indicative of its extensive time at sea and engagement in combat operations. Experts explained that the ship's weathered condition is normal for such long deployments where comprehensive maintenance is not feasible. The upcoming port visit will allow for critical repairs, focusing on the most exposed parts of the hull.
The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln docked in Thailand after a prolonged 286-day deployment, revealing significant rust and wear indicative of its extensive time at sea and engagement in combat operations. Experts explained that the ship's weathered condition is normal for such long deployments where comprehensive maintenance is not feasible. The upcoming port visit will allow for critical repairs, focusing on the most exposed parts of the hull.
As US Navy aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln docked at a port in eastern Thailand on Wednesday after 286 days at sea, the world caught a glimpse of the mammoth warship, including extensive rust along its waterline, worn-out paint, and algae caked along the sides of the hull.
The ship, one of the most powerful vessels on the planet, looked sea-battered and worn out, with social media calling it a “rusty pile of scrap metal”. The nearly 1,100-foot-long Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, which spent months at sea, engaged in combat and blockade operations against Iran, was a reminder of what the vessel and its crew have endured for months on end.
Despite looking worse for wear, many claim this isn’t a surprise but simply what happens when a ship cannot stop for maintenance. They argue that while carriers have staff to ensure the vessel is well maintained during deployments, there is little they can do out of port during long deployments.
In the case of USS Abraham Lincoln, the carrier and its strike group had left port in San Diego in November 2025 for what was originally expected to be a routine cruise in the Pacific. The only stops it made were in Guam in December 2025 and another one somewhere in the Middle East in July, but they were brief. The resources in the vessel were focused on sustained high-tempo combat operations.
“The weathered appearance is normal for a long deployment,” Captain Dan Keeler, commanding officer, USS Abraham Lincoln, told reporters.
Former US Navy Captain Carl Schuster said that extensive rust along the waterline is normal after 60 or more continuous days at sea. “Tackling the rust problem is not something that could be done at sea, especially during combat operations,” Schuster told CNN.
He added that crews would need to be lowered down to the waterline, sand off the rust, put on two coats of rust-preventative primer and then two coats of naval grey paint. “Based on what I am seeing, you are looking at about 30 days of preservation work to remove all the rust,” he added.
However, during the week-long stop in Thailand, crews will prioritise treating high-impact areas on the bow and forward hull.
“The rust on the bow and forward hull areas will be done first because they take the most abuse when the ship is moving, and they absorb the corrosive actions that accompany moving through salt waters, particularly choppy seas,” Schuster said.