Eight Suicide Attempts Reported Aboard USS Abraham Lincoln

The USS Abraham Lincoln departed California in November 2025, initially bound for the South China Sea before being diverted to the Middle East. The vessel spent 286 days at sea, finally reaching Thailand in early September 2026. This prolonged deployment coincided with the escalation of US-Israeli military operations against Iran, placing significant strain on the strike group.

While the Navy reports no completed suicides during this period, the letter details harrowing incidents of sailors attempting to go overboard. One sailor was recovered by a search and rescue helicopter in August, while another was physically stopped by shipmates during a similar attempt in March. These revelations follow months of reports regarding food shortages, poor hygiene, and failing mental health support systems. Although President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth previously dismissed these accounts as misrepresentations, the internal confirmation marks a significant shift in the public record of the carrier's deployment.