US Navy Confirms Eight Suicide Attempts on USS Abraham Lincoln
The US Department of War has confirmed that eight suicide attempts occurred among sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, following reports about poor conditions aboard the ship. According to a US military official, two of the incidents happened during active combat with Iran.
CBS reported on Wednesday, Oct. 1, that Hung Cao, the acting secretary of the US Navy, provided the figures in a letter to Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. The letter said the eight cases involved sailors stationed on the carrier itself, its air wing and the destroyers accompanying the ship.
Cao also wrote that “there were no suicides on board the ship.” However, the confirmation comes after earlier reports described difficult living and working conditions on the carrier.
During the Abraham Lincoln’s combat deployment in the Middle East, the families of thousands of personnel complained about the poor conditions on the ship. Those reports said sailors faced issues including a food shortage, logistical problems and broken toilet plumbing.
Senator Gillibrand said in a statement that what Donald Trump and Secretary Hegseth had called “fake news” was in fact evidence of serious and worsening conditions for US military personnel. The US government initially denied the reports, but after complaints mounted, the carrier was pulled from its combat mission and returned to the United States.
The Abraham Lincoln was deployed to the Middle East last year and carried out more than 250 consecutive days of operations. After stopping in Thailand, it arrived in Guam earlier this week and is expected to return to San Diego.
