Eight crew members assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during a lengthy deployment to the Middle East, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao disclosed in a letter to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, the BBC reported.
The disclosure came in response to questions from Gillibrand, a Democrat on the Senate armed services committee, after families of sailors raised alarm over deteriorating mental health and grim conditions during the prolonged mission tied to the US war in Iran.
The carrier, deployed since last November, is now returning to the US. Cao said five chaplains and multiple mental health professionals were aboard to meet the "spiritual and emotional needs of the crew", and that the eight sailors included personnel from the Lincoln crew, its carrier airwing, the strike group, destroyer squadron staff, escorting destroyers and all embarked aviation squadrons.
The Navy has previously denied that a mental health crisis was under way on the carrier, which had roughly 5,000 crew aboard, though it had acknowledged supply challenges.
Cao's letter denied widespread reports of broken plumbing and food shortages, but acknowledged temporary "localised piping failures", problems with reverse osmosis desalination units, and a brief reduction in meal options.
Gillibrand called the treatment of service members "completely unacceptable", saying in a statement, "What Trump and Secretary Hegseth dismissed as 'fake news' turned out to be serious and deteriorating conditions for our service members."
She added: "Our troops and their families make immense sacrifices every single day, yet the president dismissed them with open disrespect."
ALSO READ: Sailors Attempt To Jump Off US Warship During Nine Months Long Iran War Deployment
The Lincoln left California in November for the South China Sea before being sent to the Middle East ahead of strikes on Iran in February.
Its deployment, originally due to end in May, was repeatedly extended before the USS George Washington replaced it in August after a nine-month mission. Sailors made a stop in Thailand on their way home.
Suicide remains a leading cause of death in the US Navy and Marines, according to USNI News, with veterans facing higher suicide rates than non-veterans.
A January 2025 study of 956 sailors found Navy personnel suffer the highest rates of serious psychological distress among US military branches, citing poor habitability, noise and inadequate rest.
ALSO READ: US Military Denies Reports Of Sailor Deaths, Health Concerns Aboard USS Abraham Lincoln
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