USS Lincoln Crew Under Strain After 240 Days at Sea

By Staff, Agencies

Concerns over conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln are growing as the carrier nears the end of an exceptionally long deployment in the Middle East supporting US aggression against Iran, the BBC reported.

US Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper said after visiting the ship Saturday that mental health had become a leadership priority. While he said the Lincoln had “among the lowest number of cases related to mental health” among the US Navy’s 11 active carriers, he acknowledged the pressures of prolonged deployment.

The Lincoln arrived in the Middle East in January and has supported the US war on Iran, including operations backing Washington’s blockade of Iranian ports. Its deployment, originally due to end in May, has been repeatedly extended, with the carrier now reportedly spending more than 240 days at sea, including over 200 without a port call.

Meanwhile, Military Times and Stars & Stripes reported problems including broken plumbing, sanitation issues, shortages of fresh food and limited opportunities for sailors to go ashore. Relatives have also raised concerns over worsening mental health, including reports that some sailors attempted to jump overboard.

The US Navy acknowledged supply difficulties but rejected claims of a broader mental health crisis.

In Washington, 13 Democratic senators on the Armed Services Committee asked War Secretary Pete Hegseth for answers over the deployment’s length and conditions aboard the carrier.

Hegseth dismissed reports about the conditions as “completely misrepresented,” while US President Donald Trump rejected concerns that sailors had spent too long at sea, saying it was “not nearly long enough.”

Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a Democrat and US Army veteran, called the reported conditions “heartbreaking” and urged Trump to show greater compassion.

Meanwhile, the USS George Washington is reportedly heading to the Middle East to replace the Lincoln and could arrive within about a week, potentially ending one of the carrier’s longest uninterrupted periods at sea.