Navy: 8 Lincoln Strike Group Sailors Attempted Suicide

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao has told a U.S. senator that eight personnel assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during the ship's record-length deployment. The disclosure, first reported by CNN, came in a four-page letter dated Tuesday and covers a deployment now past 300 days. The carrier is due back on the West Coast in early October.

Navy: 8 Lincoln Strike Group Sailors Attempted Suicide

Washington — Eight U.S. Navy personnel assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during the ship's deployment, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao wrote in a letter to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, according to CNN, which first reported the figure Wednesday. The letter, dated Tuesday, says no service members killed themselves during the deployment. The Lincoln left San Diego on 21 November 2025 and is now returning home.

What the Navy Told Congress

Cao's letter states that "since the beginning of Lincoln's deployment, there have been a total of eight suicide attempts across the strike group." The secretary wrote that the count includes the Lincoln crew and sailors from the carrier airwing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff, escorting destroyers and all embarked aviation squadrons. The Hill reported the letter runs four pages, and CNN, USA TODAY and The Hill each obtained it this week. Cao was responding on behalf of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to a letter from Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, dated 15 August. A Navy official told NBC News the reply was delivered to her on Tuesday.

A Deployment That Was Supposed to End in May

The Lincoln is a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, CVN 72, and the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3. It left Naval Station North Island in San Diego on 21 November 2025. The deployment was originally scheduled to end in May and was repeatedly extended after the war with Iran began on 28 February 2026, when Operation Epic Fury opened, 19FortyFive reported. The carrier shifted from an Indo-Pacific deployment to the Middle East and spent nearly seven months in the U.S. Central Command area. The USS George Washington, homeported at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, arrived in the Central Command area on 19 August 2026 to relieve the Lincoln. By 21 September the deployment stood at 304 days, Navy Times reported. USNI News reported that the 302-day mark on 19 September made it the second-longest U.S. carrier deployment since the end of the Cold War, behind the USS Gerald R. Ford's 326-day deployment, which ended in May.

286 Days Without a Port Call

The ship was at sea without a port call for 286 days while supporting the war, NBC News reported. Newsweek reported the deployment lasted about 286 days at sea, according to the U.S. Navy, while Navy Times reported the ship went over 260 days without a scheduled port call. Stars and Stripes reported the deployment included 208 consecutive days at sea and 200 days in a combat zone. Port calls were few: a visit to Guam on 11 and 12 December 2025, a brief logistics stop in Oman on 27 July 2026, a five-day port call in Thailand at Laem Chabang from 2 to 6 September 2026, and a one-day logistics stop at Naval Base Guam on 19 September 2026. Aircraft carriers typically make port calls every 30 to 45 days for maintenance, resupply and crew rest, according to Stars and Stripes. About 5,000 sailors and Marines are aboard the carrier.

Eight Attempted Suicides Is Incredibly High

CNN reported the rate of suicide attempts among the strike group's sailors was roughly consistent with that of the entire active duty Navy in 2024, the most recent year for which the Pentagon has released suicide data. That year the Navy recorded 356 suicide attempts among its estimated 337,000 active duty sailors. Between 6,000 and 7,000 sailors were deployed with the strike group across roughly a half dozen ships, according to CNN; NBC News put the figure at about 7,500 service members, primarily sailors. A U.S. military official told CNN that "eight attempted suicides is incredibly high." The official said recent carrier strike group deployments have had one or two per year, adding that "the strain of combat ops is much higher than normal deployments. No port calls, constant alerts, etc." A former Pentagon official told USA TODAY that "nearly one suicide attempt a month speaks to the intense challenges our sailors faced during a dangerous operation," and said the Navy must work to make every resource available to deployed sailors so they remain combat capable.

What the Secretary Confirmed, and What He Denied

Cao wrote that mental health resources aboard included five chaplains, one embedded integrated prevention counselor, one psychologist, one clinical social worker, three behavioral health technicians and one expeditionary facility dog. The BBC reported that Cao said the five chaplains and multiple mental health professionals were available on board to meet the spiritual and emotional needs of the crew. Cao acknowledged temporary "localized piping failures" and problems with the ship's reverse osmosis desalination units, which he attributed to high-ambient seawater temperatures and continuous operations. He wrote that "the number of main entrée options served during regular meal hours was reduced from two to one for a short time," saying this was implemented to optimize endurance and ensure sustained time on station, that four meals were served daily, and that all meals provided were nutritionally balanced with adequate calories per day made available to every Sailor. The Guardian reported that Cao also acknowledged certain delays in replenishing crew supplies.

Two Overboard, Six Other Attempts

CNN previously reported that two sailors assigned to the Lincoln strike group, one from the carrier and one from another ship, had jumped overboard in recent months. Both were rescued, U.S. officials said, and others were prevented from jumping, according to Navy Times and Stars and Stripes. Cao's letter confirmed that a sailor assigned to the air wing went overboard in early August, was quickly recovered by an air wing search and rescue helicopter and treated by the Lincoln's medical department. The Guardian reported the letter adds that the sailor was transferred off-ship for follow-up care. Cao wrote that one sailor attempted to go overboard in March and was stopped by shipmates, provided immediate medical care and subsequently returned to homeport. A Navy official told NBC News the number of sailors who jumped overboard while the Lincoln was in the Middle East remains at two, as previously reported, and did not provide details about the six other attempts.

What the Crew and Their Families Described

Families of sailors reported food shortages and sanitation problems aboard, USA TODAY reported. Relatives raised concerns about how the extended time at sea was "wreaking havoc" on sailors' mental health, as one relative described it to NBC News last month. Military family members expressed frustration with Navy officials over reported food shortages and concerns over self-harm during a town hall meeting in San Diego in August, Stars and Stripes reported. A crew member told CNN that morale on the carrier was very low and that they had heard repeatedly about suicidal ideation by fellow crew members, adding that toilets and water fountains around the ship were frequently closed and hot water was often unavailable. "Everyday we wake up and listen to our captain speak, we are desperately hoping and anxious for updates on our return," the crew member said. Military Times reported that a sailor who served aboard during the most recent deployment said access to mental health resources was stymied by weeks-long wait times to see licensed mental health clinicians aboard the ship. The Guardian noted that MS Now reported in August on allegations of mold in the ship's showers and dwindling supplies of food and soap. One deployed service member told Military Times: "Just like machines, people can break, too. They need rest."

What Was Dismissed as "Fake News"

Members of Congress and the administration had traded claims for weeks, and the Trump administration initially tried to downplay reports of poor sanitation and reduced meal portions, USA TODAY reported. President Donald Trump said in August that the Lincoln was being "beautifully maintained and beautifully taken care of," according to USA TODAY, while NBC News reported that Trump has also previously said the deployment was "not nearly long enough." Hegseth downplayed the media coverage, saying news outlets "completely misrepresented" the situation, and told reporters in August that "we make sure every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment," the Guardian reported. Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command, visited the carrier in August and described the crew's "camaraderie, teamwork and resilience" as "awe-inspiring," saying the Lincoln had among the lowest numbers of mental-health cases across the Navy's 11 active carriers while acknowledging that extended service at sea is "uniquely challenging and tough." He later wrote that "the crew is tired" but said sailors continued to "fire on all cylinders," and in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal last month described the concerns as "old news" that were resolved months ago. Gillibrand said in a statement Wednesday that "what Trump and Secretary Hegseth dismissed as 'fake news' turned out to be serious and deteriorating conditions for our service members," adding that the treatment of troops and their families was "completely unacceptable."

Why This Reaches Beyond One Ship

Suicide remains a leading cause of death in the U.S. Navy and Marines, according to an analysis of military data by USNI News, and veterans have higher rates of suicide than Americans who have not served, according to the Veterans Administration. The BBC reported that a study of 956 sailors released in January 2025 found troops aboard U.S. Navy ships suffer the highest rates of serious psychological distress compared with other branches of the U.S. military, citing "unique stressors, such as poor habitability, noise and demanding schedules that leave inadequate time for sleep and rest." Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle responded to the earlier reporting by saying that "Sailors first is not a slogan – it's a warfighting imperative." Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman said sailors deploying aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt had been told: "They know they're going to be there longer than seven months." Long deployments are increasingly becoming part of carrier planning, 19FortyFive reported.

What Happens When the Ship Comes Home

The Lincoln is expected to reach the West Coast in early October, according to USNI News, and USA TODAY reported the ship will likely remain at sea for another two weeks before returning to the United States. Thirteen Fleet and Family counselors are now aboard the carrier to facilitate return and reunion classes, Carrier Strike Group 3 spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Tyler Barker told Stars and Stripes. Members of California's congressional delegation requested an independent Pentagon inspector general review, saying they were "seriously concerned about the reported conditions" and the well-being of personnel aboard the strike group, 19FortyFive reported, citing The Hill. Cao's letter says a congressional delegation is in "planning stages" to embark the Lincoln for oversight once the carrier returns to the U.S., according to The Hill. In the U.S., the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be reached by call or text at 988.

By Jessica Ali, Staff Writer

This article was produced with AI-assisted research and editorial support. Sources: CNN, NBC News, BBC, The Guardian, USA TODAY, The Hill, Navy Times, Stars and Stripes, Newsweek, 19FortyFive, USNI News and Military Times.