Navy Confirms 8 Suicide Attempts During USS Abraham Lincoln Record Deployment/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Eight sailors attempted suicide during the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group’s prolonged deployment supporting the war with Iran, according to the acting Navy secretary. No sailors died by suicide, but the deployment drew scrutiny over mental health, supply shortages and more than 260 consecutive days at sea. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand criticized President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for previously dismissing reports about conditions.
Quick Look
- Eight suicide attempts were recorded across the entire Lincoln strike group.
- The figure includes the carrier, its air wing, escorting destroyers and embarked squadrons.
- No sailors died by suicide during the deployment.
- The strike group spent more than 260 consecutive days at sea.
- The Lincoln departed San Diego in November 2025.
- It reached the Middle East in January to support operations involving Iran.
- Sailors and families reported stress and shortages of food and hygiene products.
- Trump previously described the deployment as a “good period of time.”
- Hegseth said reports about conditions had been “completely misrepresented.”
- The carrier stopped in Thailand in early September while returning toward California.
Navy Confirms Eight Suicide Attempts
WASHINGTON — Eight sailors attempted suicide during the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group’s extended deployment supporting the United States’ war with Iran, according to the Navy’s top civilian official.
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao disclosed the number in a letter sent Tuesday to Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.
The total covers the entire strike group rather than only personnel assigned directly to the aircraft carrier.
“There have been no suicides on board during this deployment,” Cao wrote in the letter obtained by The Associated Press and first reported by CNN.
“Since the beginning of LINCOLN’S deployment, there have been a total of eight suicide attempts across the strike group — this number includes the LINCOLN crew and Sailors from the carrier wing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff, escorting destroyers, and all embarked aviation squadrons.”
Other reports said at least two of the attempts involved sailors trying to go overboard. Navy personnel intervened in one March incident, while another sailor was rescued after entering the water in August.
Gillibrand Requested Information From Navy
Gillibrand asked the Navy in August for detailed information about conditions affecting the thousands of sailors and Marines assigned to the strike group.
She specifically asked whether any personnel had died by suicide.
Cao’s response confirmed that no suicide deaths occurred during the deployment while disclosing the eight attempts.
The senator’s inquiry followed reports of declining morale, severe stress and poor mental health among personnel whose deployment was repeatedly extended.
Families also raised concerns about sailors remaining away from home for months while operating in and near a combat zone.
Carrier Spent Record Time Continuously at Sea
The Lincoln departed its home port in San Diego in November 2025.
It arrived in the Middle East in January to support operations involving Iran and remained at sea without an extended port visit for more than 260 days.
Other accounts placed the uninterrupted period at approximately 286 days before the carrier reached Thailand in September.
The deployment was one of the longest continuous periods at sea for an American aircraft carrier and its crew. It included more than 200 days in a combat zone and thousands of military sorties.
Lengthy deployments can increase stress for service members who remain separated from their families and ordinary support networks.
They also place greater strain on ships, aircraft and other equipment that require regular maintenance.
Reports Described Supply and Living Problems
The Lincoln’s deployment attracted national attention after sailors and family members reported deteriorating mental health and shortages of basic supplies.
Reported problems included limited food choices, delays in obtaining soap and other hygiene products, plumbing failures and unsanitary conditions in some areas of the ship.
The Navy acknowledged some delays in replenishing supplies but maintained that sailors continued receiving nutritionally balanced meals.
The service also said mental-health resources were available, including behavioral-health personnel, a clinical social worker, counselors, chaplains and a facility dog.
Concerns persisted as the deployment continued without a clear return date.
Trump Downplayed Length of Deployment
President Trump previously minimized concerns about how long the strike group remained at sea.
He described the sailors’ nearly nine-month experience as a “good period of time” and added that “over the years, we’ve had them out there much longer.”
Trump said in August that he had discussed the issue with a retired admiral who recalled spending “much longer” periods aboard ships.
According to Trump, the unnamed admiral assured him that the Lincoln was “beautifully maintained and beautifully taken care of.”
The president did not identify the admiral.
Hegseth Disputed Reports About Conditions
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also challenged reporting about living conditions and morale aboard the carrier.
He said accounts of the situation had been “completely misrepresented.”
“We make sure every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment. Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody,” Hegseth previously told reporters.
The Navy has maintained that the reported attempts did not represent an increase compared with expected historical patterns and that personnel had access to mental-health services.
The disclosure of eight attempts nevertheless renewed questions about the effect of an unusually long combat deployment.
Gillibrand Criticizes Trump and Hegseth
Gillibrand issued a sharply worded response after receiving Cao’s letter.
“What Trump and Secretary Hegseth dismissed as ‘fake news’ turned out to be serious and deteriorating conditions for our service members,” she stated.
“Our troops and their families make immense sacrifices every single day, yet the president dismissed them with open disrespect,” Gillibrand said.
“That this administration can find endless taxpayer dollars for bombs, ballrooms, and billionaires, but cannot take care of our service members, is completely unacceptable.”
Her statement framed the issue as a failure by senior civilian leaders to take service members’ health and living conditions seriously.
Lincoln Makes Thailand Port Stop
The Lincoln and some accompanying ships stopped in Thailand in early September as they traveled back toward California.
The port call gave thousands of sailors and Marines their first extended time ashore in more than nine months.
Capt. Dan Keeler, the Lincoln’s commanding officer, said at the time that the carrier would head home soon but could make additional stops for supplies.
He declined to provide the precise date when the strike group would return to the United States.
The carrier later reached Guam while traveling toward its home port of San Diego, according to other reports.
Iran Mission Continues Without Clear End Date
The Lincoln’s deployment occurred as the Navy enforced a blockade on Iranian ports in and near the Strait of Hormuz.
Although the Lincoln has left the region, other American naval forces continue the operation.
The Trump administration has not provided a clear public timetable for ending the war or removing the blockade.
Continuing military operations create the possibility of further extended deployments for other carrier groups and naval personnel.
The Lincoln episode has therefore raised wider questions about how the Navy will balance prolonged wartime requirements with sailors’ mental health, family needs and equipment maintenance.
Editor’s note: This story discusses suicide. In the United States, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. Service members and veterans may call 988 and press 1text 838255or use the Veterans Crisis Line website.
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