8 US Navy personnel attempted suicide during USS Abraham Lincoln deployment against Iran

WASHINGTON, Sept 24: Eight US Navy personnel assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during its extended deployment, which included combat operations against Iran, according to a letter from Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao to US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

Cao disclosed the figure in a letter dated Tuesday in response to Gillibrand’s questions about the morale and mental health of personnel serving with the carrier strike group. He said there were no deaths by suicide during the deployment.

“Since the beginning of Lincoln’s deployment, there have been a total of eight suicide attempts across the strike group,” Cao wrote. The figure covers not only personnel aboard the aircraft carrier but also sailors assigned to the carrier air wing, strike group and destroyer squadron staffs, escorting destroyers and embarked aviation squadrons.

The carrier strike group involved between 6,000 and 7,000 sailors across roughly six ships. The USS Abraham Lincoln remained at sea for an extended period while supporting US military operations against Iran. A US defense official told CBS that two of the suicide attempts occurred during active fighting with Iran.

The disclosure comes amid concerns about the prolonged deployment and the mental health of the crew. The USS Abraham Lincoln spent 286 days at sea before arriving at Thailand’s Laem Chabang Port on September 2 for a port visit and rest period. It had gone nearly nine months without a full port call.

Cao’s letter also follows earlier reports about deteriorating conditions and morale aboard the carrier during its lengthy deployment. The Navy has said it remains committed to the health, wellbeing and morale of its sailors.

Source: CNN, CBS News, US Navy letter to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.