USS George Washington Deploys to Relieve Abraham Lincoln as Sailors Report 111-Day-Plus Strain
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Aug 18
USS George Washington Deploys to Relieve Abraham Lincoln as Sailors Report 111-Day-Plus Strain
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Aug 18
Summary
USS George Washington is heading to the Middle East and is expected within about a week to relieve USS Abraham Lincoln, whose crew has faced mounting complaints over living conditions during a deployment that began on Dec. 11.
Reports from Military Times and Stars & Stripes described food shortages, broken plumbing and exhaustion on the Lincoln, while relatives said sailors' mental health was worsening and one family member reported a 65-pound weight loss.
U.S. officials pushed back on the accounts: Trump said the deployment was "not nearly long enough," and CENTCOM chief Admiral Brad Cooper said Lincoln had among the lowest mental-health case counts of the Navy's 11 active carriers.
CNN found no widespread problems during a three-day July visit, though some sailors said they had rationed food and lost weight over many months, underscoring the gap between public reporting and official denials.
The relief ship carries its own warning signs: a 2023 investigation into suicides aboard George Washington found multiple problems tied to poor living conditions, reflecting broader Navy concerns over isolation, exhaustion and suicide risk at sea.