The USS Abraham Lincoln returned to Naval Air Station North Island on Saturday, Aug. 22, ending a 273-day deployment that Rep. Sara Jacobs called "the longest aircraft carrier without a port call in modern history."

Now Jacobs wants answers about how it happened.

The San Diego Democrat formally called on the House Armed Services Committee to hold a field hearing in San Diego to meet with military families, and separately asked the Pentagon Inspector General to investigate conditions aboard the carrier and how the extended deployment was allowed to continue, CBS 8 reported.

"Now we need to get into the real investigation of what exactly happened and how it was allowed to happen," Jacobs said Saturday.

Jacobs was not alone. Reps. Scott Peters, Juan Vargas and Mike Levin joined California Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff in a letter to the Department of Defense Inspector General on Aug. 17 requesting an independent review, according to KPBS. The letter cited "credible reports of food shortages, unsanitary conditions, and a lack of other essential supplies" and deteriorating mental health among service members.

The carrier, homeported in Coronado, departed NAS North Island on Nov. 21, 2025, for what was planned as a seven-month deployment. The Navy extended it twice because of the Iran war. The ship made only two port calls during the entire deployment: Guam on Dec. 11 and a brief stop in Oman on July 7. That left approximately 5,000 crew members at sea for 208 continuous days, a modern-era record for a carrier.

Reports of mental health crises, food shortages and exhaustion surfaced publicly during an Aug. 6 town hall at NAS North Island, where family members pressed Navy leaders for answers. Navy Times reported multiple instances of sailors attempting to jump overboard.

The Navy has pushed back. A Navy spokesperson told CBS 8 on Saturday that the ship's ombudsman has not been removed, denying rumors that the volunteer liaison between command leadership and families was relieved after discussing crew conditions with a member of Congress. A spokesperson also said there is no identified increase in reported suicidal ideation or attempts aboard the ship.

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, in a statement reported by the Coronado Times on Aug. 21, acknowledged sailors had been "pushed to their limits" but defended the deployment. Central Command called concerns false and accused media of dishonesty, according to The Coronado News.

Three guided-missile destroyers that deployed alongside the carrier had received no confirmed return orders as of Aug. 18: USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., USS Michael Murphy and USS Spruance.

Neither the House Armed Services Committee nor the Pentagon Inspector General has publicly confirmed whether they will act on the congressional requests.