The U.S. Navy has denied claims of an increase in attempted suicides on board its aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, amid reports of rising welfare concerns from family members of those aboard the vessel, which has been at sea for over 260 days.
Citing relatives of troops at sea, military publication NavyTimes reported that at least two U.S. Navy sailors had attempted to jump overboard from the vessel, which departed the U.S. in November and was rerouted from the Pacific to the Middle East as the White House prepared to launch its war on Iran at the end of February.
Newsweek asked the Pentagon about the reports, with a Navy spokesperson saying that the health and well-being of "every sailor" on board the Abraham Lincoln was a priority.
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"Based on information available to the command, we have not identified an increase in reported suicidal ideation or suicide attempts aboard the ship," the spokesperson said. "We take every service member’s well-being seriously and have religious, medical and mental health professionals available to assess and address concerns as they arise."
On Thursday, CNN reported that an official had confirmed that one service personnel had gone overboard last month and had to be rescued. They received medical attention, but the outlet said it was not immediately clear what had led to the incident or what the sailor's condition was.
Newsweek reached out to the Navy for further comment Thursday morning via email.
Over 260 Days at Sea
Relatives of the roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines who have spent more than eight months aboard the Lincoln have raised the alarm over supply shortages, long work schedules and fears over the potential for self-harm, in multiple reports published in the past week.
More than 200 family members of the sailors met last week with Hung Cao, the acting secretary of the Navy, according to the specialist media outlet Stars and Stripes.
A second meeting, which took place virtually, between top Navy officials and loved ones of the sailors and Marines on the Lincoln also discussed concerns over mental health and safety, according to recordings seen by MS Now.
Cao said the Lincoln would be relieved by the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier group but did not specify when, the outlet reported.
Complaints about conditions on the carrier first surfaced in April, which the Navy denied at the time and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth dismissed as "fake news."
A carrier strike group is the overall force that travels with the aircraft carrier itself, including destroyers and aircraft, to carry out operations wherever the carrier is sent.
What Is the USS Abraham Lincoln Crew Morale?
Annabelle Loma said her husband was "burnt out" and had attempted to jump overboard from the Lincoln during the current deployment. He is "scared" he may be dishonorably discharged from the U.S. military, she told the Navy Times.
Maria Rodriguez told the outlet that in a separate incident, her husband, who is also on the aircraft carrier, pulled a shipmate on deck as they were preparing to go overboard.
On Monday, Democratic Representative Mike Levin of California said on social media that sailors on the Lincoln didn't have basic hygiene supplies, only access to moldy showers and broken toilets and often didn't have hot water or enough food.
In a statement to Newsweek Wednesday evening, Levin called for a ful investigation.
“A dozen families have now described what their sailors and Marines are enduring on the USS Abraham Lincoln: moldy showers, food shortages, lack of basic supplies, low morale, and extreme fatigue," Levin said. "More than 5,000 troops are at sea in the ninth month of what was supposed to be a seven-month deployment, all for a fight with Iran that lawmakers never authorized.
"When families spoke up in April, Secretary Hegseth brushed it off as ‘fake news,’ but these service members aren't lying to the people who love them. They answered the highest call there is, and this is how they are being treated? This demands a full investigation, and it needs to be fixed now.”
Most carrier deployments are between six and seven months, although they can be drawn out under certain circumstances. There will typically be port calls throughout this period to refuel and allow crew members to rest.
The Lincoln has been deployed for just under nine months, with a brief port call in Guam in December.
"Deployments of this length put a great deal of pressure on the ship and its crew, with long-term impact on personnel, sustainment of the ship and the turnaround cycle for future deployments," said retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Robert Murrett, who is now a professor of practice of public administration and international affairs at Syracuse University.
"The Navy normally attempts to avoid excessive underway periods such as this, and Lincoln does hold an unenviable record of sorts for recent history in this area," he told Newsweek.
How Common Are Navy Suicide Attempts?
Studies, including one published early last year in Military Medicine, showed sailors out at sea for long periods of time suffered high levels of stress and often went without adequate health care or assistance to cope. The study said access to help on board ships was "urgently needed" to prevent military suicides.
The U.S. Navy does not publish a list of sailors who intentionally jump overboard from their vessels, but U.S. personnel occasionally fall from their ships. A U.S. Marine fell from the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship, during operations off the coast of Venezuela in February and was later declared dead.
The Navy spokesperson told Newsweek that they would not give details on personnel medical conditions.
Where Is the USS Abraham Lincoln Now?
The exact location of warships isn't usually public knowledge, and the Lincoln's position isn't available on open-source trackers. But it is believed to be off the coast of Iran as part of the U.S. war effort.
The Lincoln's deployment was scheduled to end in May, and it remains unclear when the carrier strike group will return to the U.S.
The Lincoln left San Diego on November 21, 2025, en route to the Indo-Pacific. By early January, it was carrying out live-fire exercises in the South China Sea.
Just weeks later, it was tracked moving out of the western Pacific and toward the Indian Ocean via the Strait of Malacca. This coincided with the U.S. military buildup in the Middle East ahead of the start of the Iran war.
By the end of January, the Lincoln was under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees all U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central and South Asia. CENTCOM later described the Lincoln as within the U.S. Fifth Fleet's area, which could refer to the Persian Gulf as well as areas such as the Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea.
As of the end of July, the Lincoln was still deployed in the Fifth Fleet's area, according to images published by the military. Photographs also showed fighter jets landing on the deck of the Lincoln in the region earlier this month.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes, Shakeema Edwards, Sam Wilson.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "988" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.