Joy and relief consume crew of carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on eve of homecoming – San Diego Union-Tribune

Joy and relief consume crew of carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on eve of homecoming  San Diego Union-Tribune

The flattop is scheduled to arrive at Naval Air Station North Island on Thursday. ABOARD THE USS ABRAHAM LINCOLNA palpable sense of joy, relief and pride took hold of the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln Wednesday as the carrier drew ever closer to San Diego after a sometimes harrowing and seemingly endless deployment. By mid-afternoon, sailors were blowing off steam in a 5K race and later dancing to Sam Cooke’s “Having a Party” on the Lincoln’s scabrous flight deck, which is usually congested with fighter jets and helicopters. But those decks have been clearing over the past few days, as the aircraft fly back to their bases in San Diego and other locations.

Sailors were also jazzed by a rousing speech that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had given hours earlier during a brief visit to the ship — and the fact that he did a couple of push-ups. Many were preparing to light up cigars later in the day during a ceremonial end to a mission that will wrap up Thursday at Naval Air Station North Island, 322 days after it started. The atmosphere was so emotional that sailor Hannah Tross, a mass communication specialist, broke into tears when her father, Lt. Cmdr. Jason Tross, unexpectedly showed up to greet her. “That was surreal,” she said hours later,