President Donald Trump has rejected claims of deteriorating conditions and escalating mental health issues among sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, a carrier diverted to support the war with Iran. Families of service members have expressed alarm, citing accounts of sailors attempting to go overboard and widespread burnout during a deployment that has exceeded 250 days at sea.
One sailor assigned to the carrier's air wing was rescued by helicopter within an hour on August 3 after entering rough seas, an incident the Navy described as a mental health episode. Reports from Navy families have detailed collapsing morale and suicidal ideation, with one sailor's wife telling Navy Times that her severely burned-out husband attempted to jump overboard. Another spouse reported her husband texted her expressing a hope not to wake up the next day.
Confronted with these concerns, Trump stated, "Well, no, that ship is moving. No, they're not." He added that the ship was either moving or would be shortly, being replaced by the USS George Washington, a swap he insisted was pre-planned. When asked if the deployment had become too long, the president responded, "No. Not nearly long enough."
Since the war began, reports have also surfaced regarding food shortages and rationing aboard the Lincoln, accompanied by images of sailors' meals. IMAGE7
Anxious family members voiced their grievances to Navy leaders in San Diego, with one woman accusing naval officials of breaking trust by withholding information about living conditions. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal and other lawmakers have requested answers from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and called for a bipartisan congressional visit to the ship. Hegseth, however, has dismissed the reporting as a mischaracterization.
"Listen, we make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment," Hegseth told Newsmax. US Central Command has also pushed back, calling the reports "false" and asserting that crews "remain resilient and resolved."
Retired Vice Admiral Robert Murrett noted that extended Navy deployments can indeed contribute to increased mental health challenges. Typical carrier deployments are around six months, usually including port calls for rest and refueling. The USS Abraham Lincoln and its more than 5,000 sailors and Marines have been at sea for over 250 days since departing San Diego last November. IMAGE5
Eighteen U.S. service members have died in Iranian strikes in the region since the war started in February, with hundreds more injured. The wife of the sailor who entered the water recounted being kept in the dark about the incident, describing it as a suicide attempt. She shared a text message from her husband on July 21, in which he expressed difficulties with Wi-Fi, uncertainty about returning home, and the strain of continuing the deployment. "I don't think I can do another deployment after this and i don't even know if i can finish this deployment," he wrote.