Concerns over the mental health of sailors aboard the United States Ship (USS) Abraham Lincoln are growing as the aircraft carrier’s deployment in the Middle East enters its ninth month.
Reports published by Navy Times and Stars and Stripes said that multiple sailors have attempted to jump overboard during the deployment, which has become the longest continuous period at sea for a United States (US) aircraft carrier in recent history.
According to the reports, more than 5,000 sailors and marines have spent 250 consecutive days at sea without returning to land.
Family members raised concerns during a town hall meeting with US Navy officials in San Diego last week, where relatives described deteriorating conditions aboard the carrier.
One woman told officials that her husband had sent her a text message saying that he hoped he would not wake up the next day.
The meeting was attended by acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao and other senior officials.
According to Stars and Stripes, one family member told Navy leadership that it had “broken trust” between them and the leadership.
Navy Times also reported multiple suicide attempts during the current deployment.
Annabelle Loma told the publication that her husband had tried to jump overboard after his deployment was extended.
“He’s scared. He thinks he’ll get a dishonourable discharge, and just because he was burnt out his 13-year career is ruined, just like that,” she said.
Another sailor’s wife told the newspaper that her husband stopped a fellow crew member from jumping overboard by pulling them back onto the deck.
Democratic Congressman Mike Levin also raised concerns about conditions aboard the warship, describing reports of “mouldy showers, broken toilets, laundry down for weeks, long stretches with no hot water, a meal that came down to half a cup of rice and two tortillas. No soap, deodorant or toothpaste.”
Jason Crow, a Democratic congressman and former Army Ranger who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, said that the pressure on service members and their families was “building week by week”.
The USS Abraham Lincoln departed San Diego on November 21 and was initially scheduled to operate in the Pacific. However, it was later redirected to the Middle East after the start of the US-Israel conflict with Iran.
According to reports, the crew has spent only two days on land during the deployment, making brief stops in Guam in December and Oman in July.
The mission was originally expected to end in May but was extended more than once because of the ongoing conflict.
Earlier this year, reports and photographs showing food shortages and living conditions aboard the carrier also drew attention. Sailors reported rationed meals, water shortages, mould in shower areas and malfunctioning laundry facilities.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed those reports, describing them as “more fake news”.
Responding to recent reports, a US Navy official said that the department recognised that extended deployments placed pressure on military personnel and their families.
