Eight Sailors Attempted Suicide During USS Abraham Lincoln Deployment

Eight sailors attempted suicide while deployed with the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group, which spent more than 260 consecutive days at sea supporting U.S. military operations related to the Iran war, according to the Navy’s top civilian leader.

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao disclosed the figure in a letter dated Tuesday to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat who had asked about the conditions facing the thousands of sailors serving with the strike group.

Cao said there had been no suicides aboard the Lincoln during the deployment. However, he said there had been eight suicide attempts across the entire strike group since the beginning of its deployment. The figure includes sailors assigned to the Lincoln, its carrier air wing, strike group and destroyer squadron staffs, escorting destroyers and embarked aviation squadrons.

The disclosure comes after concerns were raised about the crew’s mental health and working conditions during the unusually long deployment. According to The Associated Press, reports had highlighted crew stress as well as shortages of supplies, including food and hygiene products.

The Lincoln left its homeport in San Diego in November and arrived in the Middle East in January to support U.S. operations involving Iran. The carrier subsequently spent more than 260 days continuously at sea, setting a record for an uninterrupted deployment, according to AP.

The carrier and several accompanying ships stopped in Thailand in early September while returning to California. Capt. Dan Keeler, the Lincoln’s commanding officer, said at the time that the carrier would soon head home but could make additional stops to replenish supplies. He did not provide an exact date for the strike group’s return to the United States.

President Donald Trump had previously downplayed reports about difficult conditions aboard the Lincoln. Last month, he described the sailors’ nearly nine months at sea as a “good period of time,” while noting that U.S. sailors had remained at sea for longer periods in the past.

The information about the suicide attempts was provided in response to Gillibrand’s specific inquiry about whether any sailors had died by suicide during the deployment. Cao’s letter clarified that there had been no suicides aboard the carrier but that eight suicide attempts had occurred across the broader strike group.

Source: AP