USS Lincoln Crew Faces Mental Health Crisis After Nearly 9-Month Deployment

The nearly nine-month deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East has triggered a severe mental health crisis, leading some sailors to attempt suicide, according to U.S. media reports.

Relatives of sailors aboard the carrier have reported food shortages, broken toilets and showers, and unsanitary conditions affecting health.

The USS Abraham Lincoln, with a crew of more than 5,000, deployed on November 21, 2025, from its home port in San Diego to the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East. Since then, it has made just one port call, at Naval Base Guam from December 11–12. Experts say the lack of port visits is a major issue for a ship of the Lincoln's size and complexity.

While President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have declared that the U.S. is ready to maintain an 'indefinite' blockade of Iran's ports, questions are being raised about how this compares to other extended carrier deployments in the past.

Crisis on the USS Abraham Lincoln

Two U.S. military publications, Navy Times and Stars and Stripes, last week quoted relatives of sailors aboard the ship, reflecting declining morale and mental health, as well as cases of suicidal intent.

Navy Times interviewed Annabelle Loma, the wife of a sailor, who said her husband tried to jump overboard amid a bout of 'severe exhaustion.'

The reports have prompted urgent questions from U.S. lawmakers. On Sunday, Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), visited the Lincoln. He praised the crew and said on social media that 'long deployments at sea are not for everyone,' while asserting that the ship has the lowest number of mental health cases among the Navy's 11 operating carriers. However, concerns are growing from lawmakers in both parties about a lack of accountability after Hegseth dismissed the mental health reports last week as 'completely fabricated.'

When asked whether the USS Lincoln had been at sea too long, President Trump replied, 'No, not long enough.' The Lincoln's mission was originally scheduled to end in May but has been extended multiple times. Last week, reports indicated that the USS George Washington had been dispatched from the Pacific and would arrive in the Gulf within a week to take over from the Lincoln.

Longest Carrier Deployments in U.S. History

The longest carrier deployment since the Vietnam War was the USS Gerald R. Ford's 326-day mission, which began in June 2025 during Trump's second term. The mission included NATO exercises in the Mediterranean, support for the military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and operations in the Red Sea during the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. The Ford later moved into the South China Sea, then to the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman to help enforce the naval blockade of Iran's ports. During this time, the Ford faced numerous technical issues, including a fire aboard the ship, drawing intense congressional scrutiny.

Long Deployments During the Vietnam War

Some of the longest carrier deployments in U.S. history occurred in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War, with the USS Midway operating for 332 days, the USS Coral Sea for 329 days, and the USS Saratoga for 308 days. Similar to the USS Lincoln, these ships faced numerous problems. The high-intensity flight schedules pushed crews and operations to their limits.

Carriers from other nations have had long deployments but cannot compare to U.S. Navy records. Russia's Admiral Kuznetsov had a five-month mission off the coast of Syria starting in October 2016, facing numerous technical issues. The UK's HMS Queen Elizabeth completed a seven-month mission in 2021, including airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, despite significant technical problems.

Why This Matters

Many lawmakers are questioning whether the U.S. can sustain an 'indefinite' blockade in the Gulf given the poor conditions on the flagship carrier. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal sent a letter to Hegseth, citing reports of deteriorating mental health, shortages of essentials, contaminated water, increased safety incidents, and disrupted mail service.

'These reports deserve immediate attention, but they also raise a broader question: Can the Navy sustain the operating tempo that the carrier fleet is being asked to maintain, especially as this administration repeatedly commits U.S. forces to conflicts of its own choosing and increasingly relies on carriers to sustain those operations,' Blumenthal wrote.

Expert Harlan Ullman, a former senior naval officer, said the lack of port calls is a major issue for the USS Abraham Lincoln. 'Ships need maintenance, especially complex ships with advanced weapons systems like nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. There are many things that cannot be maintained at sea,' he told Al Jazeera. 'There are many things that can only be done in port.'

Ullman noted that extended deployments 'erode the ship's readiness and capability the longer it stays at sea, and the lack of repair and maintenance capability.' He urged the Trump administration to prioritize naval readiness over politics.

Drawbacks of Carrier Deployments

Aircraft carriers are designed for multi-month deployments, but that comes at a high cost, as extended trips increase the risk of mechanical failures, reduce morale, and raise mental health concerns. Large carriers are expensive. The USS Abraham Lincoln cost $2.2 billion to build in 1989 and costs tens of millions of dollars to operate each day.

Recent conflicts in the Red Sea have also shown the fragility of large carriers. The Houthi forces, despite lacking a conventional navy, have put significant pressure on U.S. carriers operating near the limits of missile range. During the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, the USS Gerald Ford had to move hundreds of miles offshore to reduce the risk of missile strikes, limiting its operational effectiveness.