USS Abraham Lincoln: American Sailors Try to Take Their Own Lives As Extended Iran Deployment Takes Its Toll
- Edited by: Sagar Kar
- Updated Aug 13, 2026, 03:26 IST
Multiple sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln have attempted to jump overboard during a record breaking 250 day deployment without touching land, as families and lawmakers warn of a worsening mental health crisis onboard.
USS Abraham Lincoln. (Image: X/@CENTCOM)
A mental health crisis is unfolding aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, where thousands of sailors and marines have now spent longer at sea without touching land than any aircraft carrier crew in modern history. Military families and lawmakers are warning that conditions onboard have pushed some crew members to the breaking point.
The Lincoln’s crew, more than 5,000 sailors and marines strong, is currently in its ninth month of deployment. For 250 straight days, the ship hasn’t docked anywhere, a stretch that marks a record for a modern aircraft carrier. Two specialist military publications, Navy Times and Stars and Stripes, have reported that multiple sailors have attempted to jump overboard as conditions and psychological strain aboard the ship have intensified.
Families Speak Out at Emotional Town Hall
Last Thursday, around 200 family members gathered in San Diego for a town hall meeting with navy leadership, hoping to get answers about what their loved ones were going through onboard. The meeting quickly turned emotional, according to Stars and Stripes.
One spouse told the room that her husband had texted her earlier that day saying he hoped he wouldn’t wake up the next morning. The acting navy secretary, Hung Cao, along with other senior officials, was present to hear directly from families. One woman didn’t hold back, telling Cao that the navy had broken the trust between families and leadership.
Specific Accounts of Attempted Suicides
Navy Times spoke with several family members who shared more detailed accounts of what’s been happening onboard. Annabelle Loma said her husband attempted to jump overboard after his deployment kept getting extended again and again.
She described his state of mind, saying he’s scared, worried he’ll be dishonorably discharged, and afraid that 13 years of service could be undone simply because he reached a breaking point.
Another sailor’s wife told the outlet about a separate incident in which her husband physically stopped a fellow crew member from going overboard, pulling them back onto the deck before it was too late.
Lawmakers Raise the Alarm
Members of Congress have also started speaking out. Democratic Representative Mike Levin of California detailed the conditions crew members are enduring in a post on X, describing moldy showers, broken toilets, laundry that’s been out of service for weeks, long periods without hot water, and meals reduced to little more than half a cup of rice and two tortillas. He also noted shortages of basic hygiene items like soap, deodorant, and toothpaste.
Democratic Representative Jason Crow of Colorado, a former army ranger who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, has warned that the pressure on both service members and their families is building week by week.
How the Deployment Got Here
The Lincoln left San Diego back on November 21, originally headed for a routine deployment in the Pacific. Those plans changed once the US and Israel entered into war with Iran, and the carrier was redirected to the Middle East instead. Since then, the crew has only set foot on land twice, once in Guam in December and once in Oman in July, as per a report by MS Now.
The deployment was originally supposed to wrap up in May, but it’s been extended multiple times as the conflict with Iran has continued.
Earlier Warnings Were Dismissed
This isn’t the first time conditions aboard the Lincoln have drawn public attention. Back in April, photos surfaced showing poor quality and rationed food, alongside reports of water shortages, mold in the showers, and broken laundry equipment.
At the time, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed back against those accounts, calling them fake news on social media.
Levin responded directly to Hegseth’s comments this week, saying that service members deserve at least hot water, a working toilet, and a real meal, and that Hegseth’s inability to provide even that while calling families liars is unacceptable.
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Sagar is a journalist with an interest primarily in geopolitics and American domestic politics. Before joining Times Now, he wrote for Republic and Sw… View More
Original source: https://www.timesnownews.com/latest-news
