USS Lincoln Trapped at Sea for 9 Months... 8 Suicide Attempts Confirmed

The Trump administration has officially acknowledged that eight crew members attempted suicide aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group during its prolonged deployment to the Middle East.

While the deteriorating mental health and attempted suicides among the crew of the USS Lincoln have been reported multiple times, this is the first time U.S. Navy authorities have confirmed the specific number of suicide attempts.

According to foreign media outlets including CNN and AFP, Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao stated in a written response to Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand that a total of eight crew members attempted suicide during this deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group.

However, he noted that no crew members died from suicide.

The USS Lincoln carrier strike group typically consists of 6,000 to 7,000 U.S. Navy personnel distributed across multiple vessels.

After departing San Diego, U.S., in November of last year, the USS Lincoln stayed in the Middle East for over nine months, carrying out combat operations related to tensions with Iran.

In particular, as operations continued for more than six months without a port call, concerns regarding the accumulated fatigue and mental health of the crew were continuously raised.

The condition of the USS Lincoln, which surfaced in Thailand earlier this month, also sparked controversy.

Images were released showing parts of the hull covered in rust and algae after operating for an extended period.

An active-duty U.S. military official interviewed by CNN stated that while a typical carrier strike group deployment sees about one to two suicide attempts per year, eight attempts is "a very high number."

However, some interpretations suggest the rate is not significantly different from the U.S. Navy as a whole.

In 2024, out of approximately 337,000 active-duty U.S. Navy personnel, 356 suicide attempts were recorded. CNN explained that considering the size of the personnel, the occurrence rate aboard the USS Lincoln carrier strike group is not drastically different from the overall U.S. Navy rate.

The U.S. Navy stated that it has deployed mental health support personnel, including psychological counselors and military chaplains, to the USS Lincoln.

It also maintains its stance that a direct link between the long deployment and self-harm incidents has not been confirmed.

Reported by An Hyemin | Video by Jung Yong-hee | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.