Blumenthal Flags USS Abraham Lincoln Conditions After 200 Days at Sea
Updated
Updated · The Independent · Aug 14
Blumenthal Flags USS Abraham Lincoln Conditions After 200 Days at Sea
3 articles · Updated · The Independent · Aug 14
Summary
200 days since its last port call, the USS Abraham Lincoln is facing Senate scrutiny after Richard Blumenthal cited shortages of food and supplies, water contamination, plumbing failures and worsening mental health aboard the carrier.
The complaints come after a record 250-day deployment, far beyond the Navy’s usual six-to-nine-month tours and monthly or bimonthly port visits, with sailors’ families describing attempted overboard jumps, lost mail and severe weight loss.
Pete Hegseth said the reports were “completely misrepresented,” while US Central Command denied Iranian claims that seven sailors died and said the carrier still had an 84.4% reenlistment rate.
The Navy is preparing to rotate in the USS George Washington, but the Lincoln episode is sharpening questions about how prolonged Middle East operations are straining carrier crews after similar problems hit the USS Gerald R. Ford.