A local resort prepped to host U.S. Navy sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, who arrived Wednesday in Thailand for a temporary reprieve following a long and lately controversial deployment in the Middle East.
Elements of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (ABECSG) include not just the aforementioned Nimitz-class aircraft carrier but embarked staffs of CSG-3, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9, and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 21, and the nine squadrons of CVW-9 arrived in Laem Chabang, Thailand, on September 2, according to officials. It’s the first docking after 286 days at sea.
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) docked in nearby Sriracha for scheduled port visits. Also, the Escort Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG 62) also arrived in Map Ta Phut, Thailand, for their own scheduled port visit.
“Our arrival in Laem Chabang provides a well-deserved opportunity for our Sailors and Marines to rest and recharge. It also underscores the strong and enduring partnership and alliance between the United States and Thailand,” said Rear Adm. Robert E. Loughran, commander, Carrier Strike Group 3, in a statement. “What this strike group has accomplished is truly historic.
“I could not be prouder of the exceptional professionalism and expertise demonstrated by every member of this team during our operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.”
Officials touted the long and fruitful relationship between both nations, praising Thailand as the United States’ oldest partner in the region spanning 193 years, since the 1833 Treaty of Amity and Commerce.
Thailand is the nation’s only treaty ally in mainland southeast Asia, protecting maritime channels in the Indo-Pacific region and strengthening military proxies via bilateral and multinational exercises like Cobra Gold and by port visits like this.
Local Thai Authorities Welcome Sailors but Stress Laws
Authorities in the resort city of Pattaya increased security ahead of the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been beset with accusations of poor conditions. Local police warned U.S. service members not to break Thai law.
“About 600 officials will provide security and other necessary assistance,” the provincial governor, Narit Niramaiwong, told AFP leading up to docking.
Porames Ngampiches, the mayor of Pattaya, said on Tuesday that the USS Abraham Lincoln was slated to dock just after midnight on Wednesday, local time.
Forty buses were being prepared to transport the sailors to Pattaya and back, and the carrier will depart again on Sunday to return to the U.S. They were said to enter the city in groups to stagger their arrivals.
Porames also told AFP that U.S. service members will be banned from parasailing and cannabis use, which has been legal in a medical context in Thailand since 2022.
Government officials have warned local businesses not to overcharge sailors and the city’s police chief, Anek Strathongyoo, said law enforcement agencies have been ordered to increase security measures. He also said U.S. sailors who break Thai law will be prosecuted accordingly.
The Lincoln’s arrival could also boost a local town with an inert economy and facing its own financial challenges.
“When we heard the news that a U.S. Navy warship would be docking in Pattaya, it became a source of hope for us,” Lisa Hamilton, president of the Pattaya Nightlife Business Association, told The Independent. “I have lived in Pattaya for more than 20 years, and I have never seen any year as slow as this one.”
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