The US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is facing a severe mental health crisis. The crew has been at sea for nine months, and families and Congress are warning of catastrophic conditions and suicide attempts.
Families of American sailors and members of Congress are warning of an escalating mental health crisis aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, where multiple attempts by sailors to jump overboard have been reported. According to specialized military publications Navy Times and Stars and Stripes, poor conditions on the ship and prolonged psychological stress have pushed the crew to a breaking point.
The approximately 5,000 sailors and Marines on this warship have been at sea for nine months, including 250 consecutive days without setting foot on land, a record for an aircraft carrier in modern times. The ship departed San Diego on November 21, initially bound for the Pacific, but was redirected to the Middle East following the start of the US-Israel war with Iran.
At an emotional family meeting with Navy leadership in San Diego last Thursday, the wife of one crew member told the approximately 200 family members that her husband had sent her a message saying he "hopes he won't wake up tomorrow."
Navy Times reports details of prevented suicide attempts during the current mission. Annabelle Loma (also referred to in some sources as Anabel Loma) stated that her husband attempted to jump overboard because his deployment kept being extended. "He's terrified. He thinks he'll get a dishonorable discharge and that his 13-year career is ruined just because he burned out, just like that," she said.
In another case, according to the publication, the wife of another crew member prevented a colleague from jumping by grabbing him and pulling him back onto the deck. Multimedia producer Andrew Brown claims that six people have attempted to jump off the ship, with the latest attempt occurring on Monday.
Democratic Congressman from California Mike Levin sharply described the conditions on the ship: "Moldy showers, broken toilets, laundry machines that haven't worked for weeks, long periods without hot water, meals reduced to half a cup of rice and two tortillas. No soap, deodorant, or toothpaste," he wrote on platform X.
Jason Crow, Democratic Congressman from Colorado and former US Special Forces member (Army Ranger), warned that the pressure on service members and their families is "growing week by week."
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth dismissed the reports of poor conditions, calling them "yet another fake news." Levin responded sharply: "These men and women signed up to serve their country. The least the country owes them is hot water, a working toilet, and a decent meal. Hegseth can't even manage that, and he has the nerve to look their families in the eye and call them liars."
The crisis has been brewing for months. The ship departed San Diego on November 21, and since then the crew has spent only two days on land: in Guam in December and Oman in July. The mission was supposed to end in May, but has been extended several times due to the ongoing war with Iran.
In April, public criticism erupted over the catastrophic conditions on the carrier when photos of poor-quality and rationed food surfaced, along with reports of water shortages, moldy showers, and broken washing machines. Hegseth dismissed the allegations then as well.
