New Carrier Relieves Lincoln After Record Iran Deployment

Hegseth has said conditions aboard the Lincoln were "completely misrepresented," calling media coverage "shameless" and "reckless." He has also said the U.S. can maintain the blockade of Iranian ports "indefinitely."

Cooper, in an editorial published Sunday by The Wall Street Journal, told the Lincoln's crew they "delivered a performance for the ages, and now you are going home," and said "history will record this deployment as one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era."

President Donald Trump downplayed the reports this week, calling the nearly nine months at sea a "good period of time" and adding that "over the years, we've had them out there much longer." He said he spoke over the weekend with a retired admiral — whom he did not name — who told him the Lincoln is "beautifully maintained and beautifully taken care of." Last Friday Trump said the ship is "being replaced with another very similar ship."

Cao said the Lincoln's crew "crushed their deployment and will return home soon as part of a planned rotation," adding: "Details will come but let me be clear: the safety and security of our Sailors and Marines always comes first."