Eight USS Abraham Lincoln sailors attempted suicide, Acting Navy Secretary says
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Eight USS Abraham Lincoln sailors attempted suicide, Acting Navy Secretary says")
USS Abraham Lincoln sailors tried jumping from the ship following extended deployment that caused mental health issues. Photograph: (AFP)
Eight crew members on board USS Abraham Lincoln attempted suicide, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said in a letter sent to a Senator. He acknowledged there were some issues on the vessel, but downplayed them in the letter.
At least eight crew members deployed on USS Abraham Lincoln attempted suicide during its extended run at sea, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said. He disclosed the information in a letter to New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on Tuesday. “Since the beginning of Lincoln’s deployment, there have been a total of eight suicide attempts across the strike group,” Cao wrote to Gillibrand. The number of sailors who took the step while the Lincoln was in the Middle East remains two.
He was responding to a query by Democrats on the well-being of the sailors following reports that two of them had tried going overboard.
The carrier set out on its mission in November last year, but it was extended because of the Iran War. Families of the crew had learned that the deteriorating conditions on board the ship, along with the lengthy stay, affected the mental health of the sailors. The extended deployment pushed some of them to jump from the ship.
Cao stated in the letter that those who took the extreme step included "the Lincoln crew and sailors from the carrier air wing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff, escorting destroyers and all embarked aviation squadrons". The vessel was struck by a myriad of problems, such as broken pipes and food supply issues after its run at sea was extended.
Cao said that five chaplains and multiple mental health professionals were available on the ship to meet the "spiritual and emotional needs of the crew", which numbered nearly 5,000. Previously, the US Navy denied reports that the crew was facing mental health challenges, while admitting supply issues.
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In his letter, Cao denied broken plumbing and shortages of fresh food, but acknowledged that there were some problems on board. He said that the vessel faced temporary "localised piping failures" along with problems with the reverse osmosis desalination units. The sailors also did not get certain meal options that had to be reduced for some time. The Trump administration has been slammed for downplaying the issues on USS Abraham Lincoln.
USS Abraham Lincoln deployment
USS Abraham Lincoln left California in November for the South China Sea. Just before the Iran war broke out, it was sent to the Middle East. The deployment was originally set to end in May, but it extended for nine months. After family members came forward with the news of suicide attempts, the USS George Washington, an aircraft carrier, was sent to replace it. It is now returning home and made a stop in Thailand.
