- USS Abraham Lincoln has been deployed since November 21, originally intended for the Pacific but redirected to the Middle East due to the US-Israel war with Iran.
- The deployment was expected to end in May but has been extended multiple times amid the ongoing war.
- Reports have emerged of multiple sailors attempting to jump overboard, with one sailor's wife stating her husband tried after his deployment was extended.
- Another sailor's wife reported that her husband prevented a fellow crew member from jumping overboard.
- During an emotional town hall meeting last Thursday, families raised concerns about mental health and supply issues with Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao.
- In April, the Navy dismissed reports of food shortages aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln as 'false'.
- Following its current deployment, the USS Abraham Lincoln will be assigned a new home port in Bremerton, Washington, with a 58-day moving window for families to relocate.
Families of sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln are raising alarms as the crew endures a record-breaking nine-month deployment amid escalating mental health crises. Originally scheduled to conclude in May, the deployment has been extended indefinitely due to ongoing military operations in the Middle East.12
Concerns have intensified following reports of sailors attempting to jump overboard, with Annabelle Loma, a sailor's wife, revealing her husband is on medical hold after a suicide attempt. “He’s scared,” Loma said, expressing fears of a dishonorable discharge ruining his 13-year career.3
Another sailor's wife, Maria Rodriguez, recounted her husband preventing a fellow crew member from jumping, highlighting the dire mental state of the crew. Family members voiced their worries during a recent town hall meeting with Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao, where one spouse shared a message from her husband expressing a wish not to wake up.45
The USS Abraham Lincoln has spent 250 consecutive days at sea, a modern record for aircraft carriers, with only two days on land since its deployment began on November 21. The Navy has faced criticism over poor living conditions, including reports of food shortages and inadequate supplies, which the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations has dismissed as false.6
As the situation escalates, Congress members are voicing concerns about the strain on service members and their families, with Jason Crow, a Democratic congressman, stating that the pressure is “building week by week.”
“The carrier's 5,000-plus crew has had only two days on land since November, and the deployment has been extended with no return date. At a town hall, one wife said her husband texted that he 'hopes he doesn't wake up tomorrow,' and another reported a thwarted jump.”
The Independent
The Guardian
