The unusually long deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln has come under renewed scrutiny after the US Navy confirmed eight suicide attempts among personnel assigned to the carrier strike group.
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao disclosed the figure in a letter to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who had sought answers about the wellbeing and mental health of sailors serving with the group.
The disclosure was reported by NBC News on Thursday.
The cases involved personnel serving across the strike group, including sailors aboard the Lincoln, members of its carrier air wing, destroyer squadron staff, escorting ships and embarked aviation units.
About 7,500 service members, most of them sailors, are attached to the carrier strike group.
Cao said none of the eight cases resulted in a suicide death.
The Navy has not released details of the other cases. It previously confirmed that two incidents involved sailors going overboard while the carrier was operating in the Middle East.
The latest disclosure has intensified questions about the strain of the Lincoln’s unusually prolonged mission.
The carrier spent 286 days without a port call while supporting US military operations in the region.
The deployment began in November and was originally expected to conclude in May. Its return was later delayed following the outbreak of war with Iran in February.
The Lincoln eventually reached Thailand in early September before resuming its journey to its home port in San Diego.
Gillibrand had previously expressed concern about conditions aboard the carrier, including food supplies and the availability of medical resources. She described the situation as “serious and deteriorating.”
The Navy has pushed back against some accounts of worsening conditions, saying sailors have continued to receive medical and mental health support during the mission.
Its support team aboard the Lincoln includes five chaplains, a clinical psychologist, a clinical social worker, behavioural health technicians and an integrated prevention coordination counsellor.
The confirmation of the eight suicide attempts has nevertheless placed fresh focus on the pressures faced by service members during lengthy deployments.
The disclosure also comes as lawmakers and relatives continue to seek greater information about the conditions and welfare of personnel aboard the carrier.
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