Overview
- U.S. Navy imagery shows the carrier firing its Phalanx CIWS on January 8 while transiting the South China Sea.
- A 7th Fleet spokesman described the strike group’s activity as routine operations that include flight operations and replenishment at sea.
- The carrier has operated in the South China Sea since at least December 26 after a mid-December port call in Guam, following departure from San Diego on November 24.
- Abraham Lincoln is embarked with Carrier Air Wing 3 and escorted by destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., USS Spruance, and USS Michael Murphy.
- The patrol follows China’s December 29–30 ‘Justice Mission 2025’ drills around Taiwan, with USS George Washington in maintenance at Yokosuka.