Navy Confirms 8 Suicide Attempts in USS Lincoln Group After 300 Days at Sea
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 24
Navy Confirms 8 Suicide Attempts in USS Lincoln Group After 300 Days at Sea
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 24
Summary
Eight sailors in the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group attempted suicide during the deployment supporting the war against Iran, according to a Navy letter sent to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
Two cases involved overboard incidents: one sailor from the carrier’s air wing went overboard in early August and was rescued by helicopter, while another was stopped by shipmates in March.
The Lincoln’s roughly 5,000-person crew spent more than 300 days at sea and set a Navy record for the longest stretch without a port call; the full strike group totals about 6,000 sailors.
Gillibrand said the figures showed conditions were “serious and deteriorating,” after President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had publicly dismissed concerns about the crew’s mental health.
Retired Rear Adm. Donald Guter called eight attempts a disturbingly high number, though Adm. Brad Cooper had said in August the Lincoln had among the lowest mental-health case counts of the Navy’s 11 active carriers.