Trending 
The US Navy has acknowledged eight suicide attempts among personnel linked to the extended deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, as questions continue over the mental health and living conditions faced by sailors during the mission.
The disclosure came in a letter from Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao to Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who had requested information about conditions on board the carrier. The letter, seen by AFP, detailed the impact of the prolonged deployment on the crew.
“Since the beginning of Lincoln’s deployment, there have been a total of eight suicide attempts across the strike group,” the Navy secretary wrote.
The letter clarified that no sailor had died by suicide during the deployment.
The Navy provided details of some of the incidents, including a case in early August involving a sailor assigned to an air wing who “went overboard from the ship” before being rescued by a search and rescue helicopter. The sailor was later removed from the ship for further care.
Another sailor reportedly attempted to go overboard in March but was stopped by fellow crew members and later returned to the United States.
The USS Abraham Lincoln left California in November 2025 for operations in the South China Sea but was redirected to the Middle East before US and Israeli strikes on Iran began in late February 2026. The carrier remained at sea for 286 days before stopping in Thailand in early September.
Concerns about conditions on board intensified in August, when military families and lawmakers raised allegations of mental health struggles, food shortages and hygiene problems among the crew.
President Donald Trump dismissed those reports at the time, while US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the situation had been “misrepresented.”
The Navy’s disclosure has renewed attention to the challenges faced by service members during extended deployments and the support systems available to personnel operating under prolonged stress.
