"Moldy Showers" and 9 Months of Deployment End in a Suicide Attempt

As the deployment of the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, deployed to the war in Iran, is prolonged, concerns are growing over the mental health of its crew members.

Citing a report by the Navy Times, the British newspaper The Guardian reported that some crew members attempted to jump overboard aboard the Lincoln, which has been at sea for nine months.

At a meeting between Navy leadership and crew families held in San Diego last week, the wife of one crew member said she received a text message from her husband saying, "I hope I don't wake up tomorrow."

The wife of another crew member said her husband, exhausted by continuous deployment extensions, tried to jump into the sea, while the wife of another crew member shared that her husband had pulled a fellow crew member back onto the deck after an attempted jump.

The USS Lincoln, carrying approximately 5,000 sailors and Marines, is currently on its ninth month of deployment. It set a modern U.S. aircraft carrier record by operating at sea for 250 consecutive days without a single port visit.

The Lincoln departed San Diego on November 21 of last year, and its operation was originally scheduled to end last May, but it has been extended multiple times as the war in Iran has prolonged.

Family members claim that the prolonged deployment, compounded by poor living conditions, has pushed the crew's stress levels to their limits.

Crew families also raised issues such as poor conditions including moldy showers and broken toilets, suspension of hot water supply, and shortages of food and daily necessities.

Democratic Representative Mike Levin criticized, "We must provide service members who serve their country with at least warm water, properly functioning toilets, and normal meals."

In response, the Navy refuted that an increase in suicidal ideation or suicide attempts on the USS Lincoln has not been confirmed, stating, "Clean water, air conditioning, and normal food are currently being provided aboard the Lincoln."

Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Lee Dain | Graphics by Yang Hyemin | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.