Mental Health Crisis Reported On U.S Navy Carrier Lincoln As Sailors Attempt To Jump Overboard

Adm Brad Cooper, top U.S military commander, visited the USS Abraham Lincoln, after which he said that it had the lowest number of mental health cases out of all 11 aircraft carriers in the U.S Navy.

However, he also acknowledged the ‘uniquely challenging and tough’ conditions for sailors who had remained at sea for a long period.

The carrier reached West Asia in January and since then has been deployed in the region’s waters as part of the U.S war against Iran, including blockading Iranian Ports while having spent over 250 days at sea without any port calls, except a brief one at Oman.

Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee, in a letter to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, criticised the extended deployment and demanded answers.

Family and friends of those serving onboard the carrier have expressed concerns about the declining mental health of sailors, with some reported to have tried to jump overboard.

There have been reports of poor sanitation, clogged toilets, shortage of food, broken plumbing and mould on the carrier. In response to these issues raised by the families, Hegseth said that the situation was ‘completely misrepresented.’

U.S President Donald Trump told reporters that the sailors had not spent a very long time at sea, saying it was “Not nearly long enough”, when questioned about the long deployment.

The USS Lincoln was to return by the end of May; however, its stay in the region was extended.

Maryland’s Democratic Governor Wes Moore, a US Army veteran, said that the conditions onboard the carrier were truly ‘heartbreaking’ and that the President should show more compassion.

Adm Cooper said on Sunday that mental health is just another aspect of individual health and should be taken seriously like physical and spiritual health.

He added, “I applaud Lincoln’s leadership for… stepping up and making mental health and crew resilience a leadership priority.”

Though the U.S Navy agreed to supply chain issues, it has denied a mental health crisis on the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln, which houses 5000 sailors.

According to sources, the USS George Washington will soon be replacing the Lincoln and could reach West Asia in a week.