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Reports of sailors trying to jump overboard raise concerns aboard USS Abraham Lincoln

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Reports that multiple sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have attempted to jump overboard are raising concerns about the mental health and living conditions of the aircraft carrier’s crew during an unusually long deployment.

The Navy Times and Stars and Stripes reported this week that sailors have been involved in several incidents in which crew members attempted to go overboard. Family members say the incidents come as sailors face mounting stress during their ninth month at sea.

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The Lincoln’s more than 5,000 sailors and Marines have spent a record 250 consecutive days without making land, according to reports. The carrier left San Diego on Nov. 21 and was initially headed to the Pacific before being redirected to the Middle East following the outbreak of war with Iran.

The deployment had been scheduled to end in May but has been extended several times. The Lincoln is now in its fifth month of combat operations against Iran.

About 200 family members attended a town hall with Navy leaders in San Diego last week, where some expressed concerns about the mental health of their relatives aboard the ship.

Families and members of Congress have also complained about living conditions, including mold in showers, broken toilets and laundry equipment, periods without hot water, shortages of personal hygiene products and problems with food supplies.

The Navy has disputed suggestions that suicidal behavior has increased aboard the Lincoln. A Navy official told The Guardian that available information has not shown an increase in reported suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts aboard the carrier.

The Navy said mental health professionals, medical personnel, counselors and chaplains are available to the crew. Officials also said sailors currently have access to clean water, air conditioning and healthy meals despite supply disruptions caused by the war.

The concerns come amid broader questions about the effects of prolonged deployments. Research published last year found that common stressors among deployed Navy personnel included inadequate rest, excessive noise and difficulties obtaining mental and physical health care.

Source: The Guardian

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