USS Abraham Lincoln's Alarming Conditions: What Sailors Are Enduring at Sea

Military families and lawmakers are sounding the alarm over a growing mental health crisis aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln as the warship reaches its ninth month at sea. The aircraft carrier and its crew of 5,000 sailors and Marines have spent a record-breaking 250 consecutive days without making land during their deployment tied to the war with Iran. Reports from military outlets including The Navy Times and Stars and Stripes indicate that conditions aboard the ship have reached a breaking point.

The USS Abraham Lincoln. Credit: Stocktrek Images / Getty Thwarted suicide attempts have been reported, with multiple sailors attempting to jump overboard during the extended deployment. Spouses voiced deep anxieties during a town hall meeting in San Diego, where one wife shared that her husband texted her saying, "he hopes he doesn’t wake up tomorrow".

Pictures shared by service members and their families reveal unappetizing, small portions being served on board. One image of a dinner on the USS Abraham Lincoln showed a small handful of boiled carrots, a dry meat patty, and a gray slab of processed meat. Other accounts described meals consisting of half a cup of rice and two tortillas, alongside broken infrastructure such as moldy showers, non-functioning toilets, and long stretches without hot water.