Eight U.S. Navy personnel assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during the group’s unusually long deployment, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao disclosed in a letter to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. The Navy said no deaths by suicide occurred during the deployment.
The disclosure comes amid growing concerns over the physical and mental strain experienced by sailors during the mission. The carrier had spent 286 days at sea without a port call, significantly longer than a typical U.S. Navy deployment, which generally lasts around six to seven months.
According to Cao’s letter, the eight suicide attempts involved personnel across the wider strike group, including the Lincoln’s crew, carrier air wing, destroyer squadron staff, escorting destroyers and embarked aviation squadrons. The Navy said five chaplains and multiple mental-health professionals were available to support sailors aboard the ships.
The USS Abraham Lincoln left California in November and was subsequently deployed to the Middle East. Its mission was originally scheduled to end in May but was extended amid the conflict involving Iran. The USS George Washington was later sent to relieve the Lincoln, which has since made a stop in Thailand while beginning its journey home.
The revelations follow months of reports and concerns from sailors’ families about morale, prolonged separation from home and difficult conditions aboard the carrier. The Navy has acknowledged some localized plumbing and supply issues while disputing broader claims of a systemic crisis aboard the ship.
