Two US sailors ejected from Thai fleshpot over drunken brawl just hours after ending record-breaking 286 days at sea

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 11:36 EDT, 4 September 2026 | Updated: 11:40 EDT, 4 September 2026 Thai police were faced with the decision of what to do with the drunken sailor when crew members of the USS Abraham Lincoln started brawling during a port stop.The aircraft carrier docked at the party town of Pattaya, known as ‘Sin City’, on Wednesday, after a record-breaking 286 days at sea.Within hours, a ‘small scuffle’ had broken out near Walking Street in Pattaya’s red-light district, and two sailors were forced back to the ship.Speaking on Thursday, local police chief Colonel Anek Srathongyoo said: ‘The sailors were drunk and they were fighting, making loud noise.’They ‘did not violate any Thai law’, but will be confined to the Lincoln for the remainder of its five-day port stop.It came despite the best efforts of US and Thai officials to prevent scandal, with strict rules introduced on where the 5,000 sailors can go.They have been banned from Soi 6 - a strip club-lined street that runs down to the main beach.Police also issued a reminder that prostitution is illegal, though there are thought to be between 25,000 and 50,000 sex workers operating in the city. After more than 280 days at sea, the USS Abraham Lincoln docked in Thailand looking rather worse for wear The US aircraft carrier moored in the perfect destination for its 5,000 sailors hoping to blow off steam: the party resort of Pattaya Members of US military arrive at Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya for a welcoming ceremony on WednesdayMayor Poramase Ngampiches denied reports of arrests ahead of the visit, but he acknowledged: ‘We have to be honest, that kind of thing still happens in Pattaya.’Cannabis shops are also off-limits to the servicemen, along with sports such as paragliding and jet-skiing.The Lincoln left San Diego last November on what was supposed to be a six-month assignment in the Pacific and South China Sea.However, it was diverted to the Gulf after the US and Israel began military operations against Iran in February, and the ship had not made any other stop-offs.Members of Congress raised concerns about reports of food shortages, broken toilets and mental stress onboard, which were dismissed by President Donald Trump.The wife of one sailor even branded the ship a ‘floating metal prison’.Officials said there had been no other notable incidents during this visit, thought to be the largest to Pattaya by US servicemen since the fall of Saigon in 1975.The Lincoln and its crew will set sail for the US on Sunday.