Eight Sailors Attempted Suicide Aboard USS Abraham Lincoln During Extended Iran-Related Deployment, Acting Navy Secretary Says

Eight U.S. Navy sailors assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during an extended deployment that included combat operations related to Iran, according to a letter from Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). The incidents were reported across the strike group, which consisted of roughly 6,000–7,000 sailors serving on about six ships.

What the Letter Says

In the Tuesday letter, Cao wrote that "since the beginning of Lincoln's deployment, there have been a total of eight suicide attempts across the strike group." He added that the figure includes members of the Lincoln crew, the carrier air wing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff, escorting destroyers and embarked aviation squadrons, and that there were no deaths by suicide during the deployment.

Overboard Incidents And Disciplinary Action

Previous reporting indicates two sailors assigned to the strike group intentionally went overboard in recent months and were rescued. Cao also confirmed that a sailor was stopped by shipmates while attempting to go overboard in March and that another sailor went overboard in August before being quickly recovered.

One 19-year-old sailor who went overboard on Aug. 3 is now facing Navy disciplinary action. Media reports have said he could lose a portion of his pay after being accused of intentionally injuring himself to avoid duty and of being absent from his assigned post.

Conditions Aboard Ship

Officials and sailors have described difficult conditions during the deployment: the carrier reportedly spent more than six months at sea without a port visit while the strike group conducted combat operations related to Iran. Sailors and family members reported food and supply shortages, plumbing failures and declining morale. A military official told CNN that a typical recent carrier strike group deployment normally records one or two suicide attempts per year, making eight attempts unusually high.

Navy Response And Context

The Navy has previously pushed back on claims of a rising trend aboard the Lincoln, telling reporters, "We have not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship." At the same time, broader Navy data show 356 suicide attempts in 2024 among approximately 337,000 active-duty sailors, a statistic CNN noted when reporting on the Lincoln strike group rate.

Ongoing Inquiries

Officials continue to review the circumstances surrounding the incidents and the shipboard conditions described by sailors and families. Investigations and any resulting disciplinary actions are being handled through standard Navy procedures.

Sources: Letter from Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand; reporting from CNN, Mediaite and MSN Now.