Rusty & faded: USS Lincoln with 5,000 war-weary sailors docks in Thailand

A weathered and rusted USS Abraham Lincoln docks in Thailand for maintainanceA rusted and worn USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in Thailand after an extraordinary 286 days of deployment at sea. The carrier shows visible signs of wear and tear, its hull streaked with rust and its paint visibly weathered after months of combat and blockade operations in the Middle East.The appearance of the US Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier serves as a visual record of its extended deployment and long overdue need for maintenance.Naval experts say prolonged exposure to seawater, humidity and heavy operational activity can leave even major warships visibly weathered when there is little opportunity for routine preservation work.The Lincoln, which carries roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines, entered Laem Cha