The USS Abraham Lincoln’s visit to Pattaya delivered exactly what both Sin City and 5,700 war-weary sailors needed: a low season boost for the city and four days of dry land, good food and freedom after nine grueling months at sea.
By the time the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier pulled away from Laem Chabang Port at about 11 a.m. Sunday, Lincoln’s visit had generated an estimated ฿100 million in revenue, according to Pattaya Mayor Poramet Ngampichet.
At the same time, the three days ashore gave the crews of the USS Abraham Lincoln and its two escort ships, the USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. and USS Robert Smalls, a chance to eat what they wanted, shop for their families, sleep in hotel rooms and briefly escape life aboard a warship.
For a crew coming off a deployment marked by reports of dwindling supplies, difficult living conditions and declining morale, Pattaya offered something money could not measure as easily.
Months at Sea Took Their Toll
Sailors who spoke anonymously to international media about conditions aboard the Lincoln in recent months described clogged toilets, dwindling supplies and monotonous meals as months at sea wore down the crew. One sailor craved something as simple as a fresh salad.
The strain was also psychological. Sailors reported multiple suicide attempts aboard the carrier, although the Navy denied there had been an increase. An Illinois sailor said he stopped counting at about 200 days because he began to fear the deployment might never end.
The reports of deteriorating conditions and mental health crises drew callous responses from the Trump administration.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed accounts of conditions aboard the Lincoln as “completely misrepresented,” while President Donald Trump was even more blunt. Told that sailors’ families were concerned about how long the crew had been at sea, Trump replied, “No, they’re not.” Asked whether the deployment had lasted too long, he said, “No, no, no. Not nearly long enough.”
At Last, Dry Land and Freedom
Against that backdrop, the Lincoln’s visit to Pattaya carried unusual weight.
“One last push and you get to see your family,” said a sailor from Puerto Rico who had not seen his family for two years. Thailand reminded him of home because of “the weather, the beach, the humble people.”
Another sailor, after months of sirens, clattering pipes and screaming jet engines, said what he missed most was silence. No go-go bars for him: The plan was a quiet hotel room, sports on the big screen and room service during the Lincoln’s visit.
Rear Adm. Robert E. Loughran, commander of Carrier Strike Group 3, said the Lincoln’s visit provided “a well-deserved opportunity for our Sailors and Marines to rest and recharge.”
Lincoln’s Visit Gives Sailors Chance to Recharge
Some ate burgers. Some went looking for fresh vegetables after months of shipboard meals. They drank from fresh coconuts, bought clothes, visited spas, ate in restaurants and packed shopping bags with gifts to take home.
Many had little interest in Pattaya’s beach after spending most of a year surrounded by ocean. One sailor joked to a friend that he was too sick of the sea to go to the beach – or even a swimming pool.
Others headed into Walking Street, where sailors could be seen entering the go-go bars and nightlife venues that line the strip. Lucifer disco proved extremely popular, as did a more surprising destination: Jalwa Club, an Indian nightclub.
The sailors showed none of the racism and derision toward Indians so common among Thailand’s expats and old-timers. Jalwa welcomed them with open arms, reserving its elevated stage for the Americans to dance and revel together during the Lincoln’s visit.
At the Hot Tuna rock bar Thursday night, a group of about 30 crew members sang along to “Free Bird” and “Hotel California,” some with their arms around one another.
Other Walking Street businesses made direct pitches for Navy business during the Lincoln’s visit. Sapphire Club offered U.S. service members a 10% discount. The New York Times reported that many sailors it interviewed, however, had no interest in exploring go-go clubs such as Play Girlz and Kink on Soi LK Metro or Harem Ultra on Walking Street, choosing restaurants, hotels and other diversions instead.
Pattaya Was Waiting
Pattaya, meanwhile, had been waiting for them.
Businesses decorated with American flags, balloons and welcome signs. The Pattaya City sign was illuminated in red, white and blue. Shops and nightlife venues offered military discounts, while a huge, illuminated sign at the entrance to Walking Street welcomed the USS Abraham Lincoln and its personnel.
Paul Cross, an English Donald Trump impersonator, went to Laem Chabang with friends to greet arriving service members, waving an American flag and imitating the president’s dance.
Cross said they wanted to show the crew “that we were proud of them, make them smile and feel welcome in Thailand.”
The welcome extended deep into Pattaya’s nightlife districts. While Soi 6 and 7 were technically off limits to the crew after dark, videos surfaced showing not all the boys listened. Soi 7, in particular, got hammered during the Lincoln’s visit.
The Australian owner of Pattaya Glow on that street said the military’s prohibition wiped out business on Soi 7 to the point that some bars dismissed their girls for a few days.
Again, not all the sailors followed the rules, with Glow reporting a few sailors wandered in after dark to play mini-golf and use the golf simulator during the Lincoln’s visit.
Walking Street hummed throughout the Lincoln’s visit, though, and its go-go bars remained accessible, with American flags and welcome signs appearing outside businesses hoping for a share of the sailors’ spending.
Away from Walking Street, Mickey Foth, an American military veteran, former Pentagon employee and co-owner of the Tahitian Queen go-go, said the Lincoln’s visit was personal. He became emotional talking about what the crew had endured.
“It’s not just the physical stress, it’s the emotional toll of such a long deployment,” Foth said. “I want to be here, front and center, to say to these men and women, ‘Thank you for your service.’”
Pattaya & U.S. Navy’s Long Relationship
Pattaya’s connection with American service members stretches back to the Vietnam War, when the small seaside community became a rest and recreation destination for U.S. troops. The city that grew from those years is vastly different today, but the arrival of an American aircraft carrier still carries economic and emotional significance.
Lincoln’s visit came at an especially useful time.
May through October is Pattaya’s low season, and local workers and business owners described this year as particularly difficult. The sudden arrival of thousands of service members with months of accumulated pay and few opportunities to spend it raised expectations across the city.
The benefits were real, although they were not evenly distributed. Shopping centers, restaurants and some entertainment venues drew groups of sailors. Others saw little change.
Thida Buttarakam, who gives traditional Thai massages on the beach, said the sailors brought her no additional customers.
“When U.S. Navy personnel arrive, they don’t really stop at the beach,” she said.
One go-go bar owner was similarly disappointed after seeing no apparent Lincoln customers on the first night.
“The hype was definitely bigger than the reality,” she said. “I was so disappointed. Last time there was some ship like this … we [made] so much money.”
Across Pattaya, however, the crew’s spending added up. Mayor Poramet said many sailors and Marines spent their liberty shopping and visiting tourist attractions.
“It shows that they are missing their families and want to buy some souvenirs for them,” he said.
The city also benefited from millions of baht in supplies sold directly to the ship, including basic toiletries.
3 Days, Little Trouble
Despite the arrival of thousands of service members after nine months aboard ship, Lincoln’s visit passed with little trouble.
Two sailors were returned to the Abraham Lincoln after a drunken altercation near Walking Street early Thursday. Pattaya Police Chief Anek Srathongyoo called the incident a “small scuffle” and “trivial.” No Thai laws were broken, he said, and the sailors were confined to the carrier for the remainder of the port call.
On Sunday, Anek’s assessment of Lincoln’s visit was brief.
“Everything went fine,” he said. “There were no arrests or arguments except on the first day when Americans had an argument among themselves.”
Perhaps the most unusual reaction came from Hooman Peseshk, an Iranian who has lived in Pattaya for 10 years and was working as a volunteer officer while American sailors returned from fighting a war against his native country.
“Nobody wants to fight in a war that was started because of our leaders,” Peseshk said. “We are all brothers here in Pattaya.”
Home Again Soon
The Abraham Lincoln is expected to reach California in mid-September, finally bringing its lengthy deployment to an end.
Pattaya was left with millions of baht in additional business and thousands of purchases. The sailors left with shopping bags, photographs, a few nights on solid ground and one final leg of their journey: home.
