Eight US Sailors Assigned to USS Abraham Lincoln Attempted Suicide, Navy Says
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao has revealed that eight crew members of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during their deployment. This disclosure comes in response to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's queries regarding the well-being of sailors onboard, following growing concerns about their mental health and living conditions.
Family members had expressed alarm over deteriorating mental well-being and challenging circumstances during a prolonged mission in the Middle East, part of the US response to Iran. The carrier, deployed since last November, is now returning to the US. The BBC has reached out to the US Navy for comment.
In his letter to Senator Gillibrand, Cao stated that five chaplains and numerous mental health professionals were available on board to cater to the "spiritual and emotional needs of the crew". He specified that the eight sailors in question included personnel from various sectors:
- The USS Abraham Lincoln crew
- Sailors from the carrier airwing
- Strike group and destroyer squadron staff
- Escorting destroyers
- All embarked aviation squadrons
While the Navy has previously acknowledged supply issues, it denied a mental health crisis aboard the Lincoln, which housed around 5,000 crewmembers. Cao's letter also addressed other reported problems, acknowledging temporary "localized piping failures" and challenges with reverse osmosis desalination units, leading to reduced meal options for a brief period.
Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate's Armed Services Committee, criticized the Trump administration's response to these reports, calling it "completely unacceptable". She stated:
"What Trump and Secretary Hegseth dismissed as 'fake news' turned out to be serious and deteriorating conditions for our service members. Our troops and their families make immense sacrifices every single day, yet the president dismissed them with open disrespect."
The carrier left California in November for the South China Sea and was sent to the Middle East ahead of Iran's February attacks. The deployment, initially scheduled to end in May, was repeatedly extended. In August, the USS George Washington replaced the USS Abraham Lincoln after its nine-month tour.
US sailors, on their way home via Thailand, were spotted enjoying bars, malls, and beaches – their first chance at land in months.