Sailors from a US aircraft carrier at the centre of a political row over conditions onboard will stop in Thailand for rest and recreation, a Thai Navy spokesman said Thursday.
The USS Abraham Lincoln carrying 5,000 sailors and marines has been at sea since November 2025 and has in recent months been deployed in the Middle East during the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Concerns about deteriorating living conditions and poor mental health onboard -- including media reports of two attempted suicides -- has prompted questions from US lawmakers.
Paraj Ratanajaipan, spokesman for the Royal Thai Navy, confirmed to AFP that US sailors will be arriving in the resort of Pattaya, south of Bangkok, for "rest and recreation".
He would not deny or confirm local media reports that the aircraft carrier would be arriving between September 2 and 6.
Pattaya Mayor Poramase Ngampiches told local media the visiting sailors could generate an estimated 5-15 million baht ($150,000-$450,000) in tourism revenue, based on expected spending per person.
Once a sleepy fishing village, Pattaya was transformed by the Vietnam War in the 1960s, when American soldiers on leave began coming for rest and recreation.
It has since become hugely popular with foreign tourists, known for its beaches and a nightlife scene that has long drawn scrutiny over sex tourism.
US President Donald Trump has dismissed concerns about the Abraham Lincoln and rejected suggestions it had been deployed for too long.
But he confirmed another carrier would swap out with the Lincoln in the Middle East.
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