The Pacific-based aircraft carrier USS George Washington has begun heading toward the Middle East, according to Navy statements and open source information on the ship’s movements. This comes as reports have emerged of mental health and supply issues aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, whose long deployment to the Middle East in support of the Iran war includes a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days.

Deployment Details

The USS George Washington left port in Da Nang, Vietnam, last week, according to a Navy statement. The carrier, along with a cruiser and a destroyer, have since been spotted crossing the Singapore Strait. A Navy official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to detail sensitive ship movements, confirmed that the USS George Washington was in the Strait of Malacca, which links the Pacific and Indian oceans.

The Lincoln is one of two aircraft carriers now stationed in the Middle East as the conflict simmers and the Navy imposes a blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for the global oil and natural gas trade. For weeks, the Navy has been attempting to get the Lincoln to a port — visits that can occur monthly on a typical carrier deployment — but concerns about threats in the region have delayed that, a U.S. official told NBC News.

The carrier originally deployed Nov. 21 from San Diego, and it arrived in the region in January, ahead of the launch of the Iran war on Feb. 28. The Navy conceded that the conflict created a “highly contested environment where traditional supply hubs in the Middle East were disrupted by combat actions.” That, in turn, led to shortages and loss of mail aboard the aircraft carrier, the Navy said in a statement.

Several Democratic lawmakers have released statements calling for investigations, more information and greater visibility into conditions aboard the USS Lincoln. “The Lincoln’s prolonged deployment is especially significant because it is occurring in the context of continuing military operations against Iran and the possibility that substantial US naval forces will be required in the region for an extended period,” Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal wrote in his letter to Navy leadership.

Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.