Chinese state-run media mocks USS Abraham Lincoln: “The carrier is rusting, and so is U.S. hegemony”

[Financial News] China’s state-run English-language newspaper Global Times published a commentary on the 3rd saying, “U.S. hegemony is the same,” after reports emerged that the USS Abraham Lincoln had rusted following a lengthy maritime operation before withdrawing from the Middle East.
The newspaper also included an illustration of the ship’s bridge tilted at an angle above a rusted and warped deck.
The outlet said, “The images released and captured on camera after 286 days of maritime operations are shocking,” adding, “The massive warship was covered in rust and looked visibly exhausted.” It continued, “The rust was not confined to the hull. It fully exposed the hidden costs and accumulated burdens caused by America’s excessive hegemonic ambitions.”
On the 2nd, the USS Abraham Lincoln entered Laem Chabang Port in Thailand after completing a lengthy deployment in the Middle East. It was the carrier’s first port call since November last year. After resting and recharging, the crew will return to their home port in San Diego.
The newspaper said that, after seeing the approximately 335-meter-long warship covered in rust, some social media users joked that it had “barely survived the Persian Gulf,” while others asked whether it was “headed for a scrapyard.”
The newspaper reported that the ship’s captain also acknowledged in a media interview that it “looks like a dirty car in a parking lot.”
Military expert Zhang Junxie told Global Times that “harsh maritime conditions can accelerate corrosion, but the USS Abraham Lincoln’s severe rust was caused by its prolonged deployment in high-intensity operations.”
The U.S. Navy has deployed four of its 11 aircraft carriers to the Middle East for a war with Iran, while the others have entered lengthy maintenance periods.
Zhang said broader problems facing the U.S. Navy—including a shortage of shipyard facilities, weakened maintenance capabilities, and a lack of skilled workers—are worsening the situation.
Shen Yi, director of the Fudan University Institute of International Cyberspace Governance, said the USS Abraham Lincoln’s current appearance stands in stark contrast to the hegemonic image of the United States long associated with its aircraft carriers.
He said the carrier’s rusty appearance reflects serious problems extending beyond equipment maintenance, including deeper issues with military morale, organizational capabilities, and even the fundamental support base of U.S. military power.
Shen said, “This is a concrete manifestation of muscular atrophy, showing that the gap between America’s hegemonic ambitions and its actual capabilities is growing wider.”
The newspaper noted, “The rust on an aircraft carrier can be scrubbed off and repainted, but the structural fatigue of a system that relies excessively on military hegemony to maintain global influence cannot be covered up.”

[email protected] Lee Seok-woo, International Affairs Specialist Reporter