Desperate sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have tried to jump overboard during an extended deployment in the Middle East, their families say.
The aircraft carrier, crewed by around 5,000 sailors and Marines, has been deployed since November 21 but more lately has been supporting U.S. military operations in the war with Iran. The deployment had been expected to end in May but has been extended with no current return date, families told The Military Times.
Annabelle Loma, the wife of a sailor serving on the Abraham Lincoln, told the publication her husband is now on medical hold after trying to jump from the carrier.
“He’s scared,” Loma said. “He thinks he’ll get a dishonorable discharge and, just because he was burnt out, his 13-year career is ruined, just like that.”
Loma added that she is trying to put on a “happy face” for her children but that she feels like she could “break down” every day.
Maria Rodriguez, another sailor’s wife, says that her husband prevented another man from jumping overboard. Rodriguez told The Military Times her husband held the shipmate’s arms and hauled them onto the deck, with three other sailors eventually running to help.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Navy told The Independent that it knows “extended deployments place a significant strain on our service members and their families, and we are grateful for the resilience and sacrifices they make in support of our nation’s security.”
“The health and well-being of every Sailor aboard Abraham Lincoln is a priority,” the spokesperson continued. “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 added that religious, medical and mental health professionals are available when concerns arise.
“Lincoln is providing a comprehensive support network, including onboard deployment-resilience counselors, chaplains, Fleet and Family Support Center services, Military OneSource, and medical professionals,” the spokesperson continued. “Lincoln is operating in a highly contested environment where traditional supply hubs in the Middle East were disrupted by combat actions.
“In response, leadership prioritized mission-critical supplies: first food, then hygiene items, then mail,” the spokesperson concluded. “Current reports from the ship confirm continuous access to clean water, functional AC, and healthy meal options.”
Concerns were raised by family members during a town hall meeting last week with Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao. One wife told Navy officials that her husband sent her a message saying that he “hopes he doesn’t wake up tomorrow,” one attendee told Stars and Stripes. The outlet said it had spoken to multiple active-duty sailors and their families who described exhaustion and low morale on board.
Recordings of last Thursday’s meeting reviewed by MSNOW showed family members raising concerns over their loved ones’ mental health, as well as worries over a lack of supplies, food shortages, water contamination and safety on deck.
Secretary Cao told attendees the USS Theodore Roosevelt is being prepared to relieve the Abraham Lincoln but did not say when, MSNOW reported.
“I cannot even tell you how proud we are of them,” Vice Admiral Joseph Cahill said, per the outlet. “They have executed with a level of precision and professionalism that just goes to the quality of our people that have chosen to put the cloth of our nation on our shoulder and answer this call. We hear you loud and clear the impact this has on families.”
In April, the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations released a statement on X dismissing reports about food shortages and poor quality aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and another vessel, the USS Tripoli, as “false.”
“Both USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Tripoli have sufficient food onboard to serve their crews with healthy options,” the statement at the time said. “The health and wellbeing of our Sailors and Marines are my top priority, and every crew member continues to receive fully portioned, nutritionally balanced meals.”
Following its current deployment, the USS Abraham Lincoln will be assigned a new home port in Bremerton, Washington, officials say per MSNOW.
Navy officials told families that a 58-day window will be provided for them to move once the aircraft carrier returns. December 31 will serve as a potential target for Navy leaders to have a “time frame” on when that would take place.
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