Thousands of US sailors descend on Thai sex tourism hotspot after gruelling nine months at sea

Patrick, a 24-year-old from Rhode Island who withheld his surname, summed up the sensation of returning to dry land in a single word: "Weird."

"On the ship you're always moving, rocking back and forth," he told The Telegraph. "Being on the ground it's just, like, weird. [Initially] I had such sea legs."

Fellow crew members poured off coaches at the Hard Rock Hotel, with several expressing delight at the prospect of finally stretching out in a full-sized bed.

The aircraft carrier had originally departed California in November 2025 on what was meant to be a six-month posting to the South China Sea. Those plans were upended when the vessel was rerouted to the Gulf ahead of the US-Israeli military strikes on Iran.

What should have been a manageable half-year tour stretched on indefinitely as the assignment was repeatedly extended, leaving the crew trapped aboard with no clear end date.

"What we have been put through, I think we've done our best to persevere," Patrick told The Telegraph. "Every day's a grind, especially on a warship."

The five-day shore leave in Pattaya marks the first real respite for the crew since their deployment ballooned from a routine Pacific rotation into direct involvement in a Middle Eastern conflict zone.

As the deployment dragged on, reports emerged of gruelling schedules, overcrowded living quarters, and dwindling stocks of food and essential supplies. Crew members and their relatives painted a picture of deteriorating conditions that took a mounting toll on wellbeing.

Mental health became a particular worry after a sailor jumped overboard last month in what was described as an alleged suicide attempt.

Commanding officer Captain Dan Keeler, speaking to reporters as the media descended on the port, conceded the warship "looks like a dirty car in a parking lot" but insisted there was a "disconnect between reporting back home and what's happening on the ship."

He likened the grievances to those of freshers away from home for the first time. "First time sailors are going to complain about the food, about the living conditions, similar to sending kids off to college for the first time," he said. "We did get caught up in an election cycle and thrown around like a football."

Sailors were instructed to keep quiet about onboard conditions, and most hurried past without engaging. One person who had no intention of staying silent, however, was Shakeira Fairfax, a 43-year-old mother who spent $943 (£700) on a flight from New York to greet her daughter Jada at the port.

"It was tough there [have been] extended periods of silence, which was hard," she told The Telegraph, proudly displaying a fresh anchor tattoo bearing Jada's name. "Excitement would be an understatement can't wait to see her, pick her up and hold her."

The US Navy has reportedly placed Pattaya's red-light districts off limits to its personnel, including the infamous Soi 6 strip. Crew members were additionally ordered to avoid local pharmacies, steer clear of cannabis, and refrain from watersports during their five-day break.

The influx has drawn inevitable comparisons with the Vietnam era, when American troops on R&R transformed Pattaya from a quiet coastal village into a sprawling entertainment district. Situated less than an hour from the US air base at U-Tapao and roughly 90 miles south of Bangkok, the beach town was reshaped by military spending. Author Elizabeth Becker described it as a "raunchy seaside playground."

Pipatpong Fakfare, an associate professor of tourism at Bangkok University, told The Telegraph: "Within about 15 years, American R&R demand had built the roads, the hotels, the bars."

The arrival has been characterised as the biggest contingent of troops to reach a port directly from a war zone since the fall of Saigon in 1975.

Dr Pipatpong drew a direct line between the two moments: "This is history repeating itself, although in a much smaller way."

Ahead of the carrier's arrival, local authorities launched a crackdown on brothels and sex workers in a bid to manage the city's notorious reputation. Despite such periodic efforts, Pattaya has largely been unable to shed its image as Thailand's seediest resort town.

Businesses, however, were eager for the windfall. Banners reading "Marco Tailor welcomes all US forces" were strung up across the city on Wednesday morning, and the mayor expressed hope that the sailors would inject around 100 million Thai baht (£2.2m) into the local economy during their stay — a welcome boost for a city whose fortunes have suffered partly as a consequence of the Iran conflict.

Early signs suggested the money was already flowing.

At a neon-drenched bar on Walking Street, bartender Linda offered a succinct assessment of the evening's trade: "So far they've ordered a lot of beer."