After more than 250 days at sea – and a deployment that has stretched nearly 10 months – the men and women of the USS Abraham Lincoln finally have their long-awaited port of call.

The Lincoln docked at the Laem Chabang port in the Chonburi province of eastern Thailand on Wednesday, the first dry land the 5,000 Sailors and Marines aboard have seen in many months.

Reporters on scene as the aircraft carrier docked noted that "crew members were not immediately accessible to media" and the "ship itself looked due for at least a new paint job, with large blotches of what appeared to be rust on the hull, especially just above the waterline and at the edge of the flight deck, where fighter aircraft and helicopters were parked."

The Lincoln's commanding officer, Capt. Dan Keeler, said of the ship's arrival in port, "Abraham Lincoln's visit to Laem Chabang is a clear demonstration of our enduring commitment to our allies and partners in Thailand, and we are all very excited to make Thailand the first port visit on our historic deployment."

Crew members from the USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in Pattaya, Thailand, on Wednesday for a long-awaited break after more than 250 days deployed in the Middle East. 

Hundreds of sailors stepped off buses carrying their bags as they began several days of shore leave. The carrier’s commander called it a “well deserved break” for the crew after months away from home.

The U.S. Embassy in Thailand confirmed that the Lincoln had arrived in Laem Chabang along with its strike group, while the destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. docked at the nearby port of Sriracha and the guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls made port in Map Ta Phut in the neighboring Rayong province.

Recommended
'Ain't My First Rodeo': DeSantis Shreds 'Soros' Heckler As Only He Can in Speech Touting Victories Sister Toldjah Bowe Bergdahl Is Once Again a Convicted Deserter Teri Christoph

Videos of the crewmembers being bussed into town have started popping up on social media.

They look a tad bedraggled but relieved to be on terra firma for at least a little while. 

Let the games begin.