USS Abraham Lincon docks at Thai beach resort after 250 days at sea

USS Abraham Lincon has docked at Thai beach resort Pattaya after 250 days at sea without a port stop. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has docked in Thailand, giving its nearly 5,000 crew members a much-needed break.

The Iran War has affected tourism and consumer spending and hit businesses hard here. The prospect of thousands of American sailors, with nine months of salary unspent while at sea, offers a rare opportunity to local businesses.

The ship is docking close to the beach resort of Pattaya, known for its raucous nightlife and for sex tourism. For the US it also carries strong historical echoes.

When the weary sailors walk into the city’s bars and restaurants, they will literally be refreshing memories of hundreds of thousands of US troops who came here for R&R and rest and relaxation during the Vietnam War.

But there are not many of those customers, and most seem to be family groups from the Middle East more interested in the Turkish ice-cream vendor than the go-go bars.