Acting US Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao has revealed that eight sailors from the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during a prolonged military deployment that included combat operations against Iran.
The disclosure came in a four-page letter sent to Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and obtained by The Hill.
Cao said the cases involved personnel from the aircraft carrier’s crew, its air wing, the wider carrier strike group, an escort destroyer and aviation squadrons operating aboard the vessel.
He said no member of the strike group died by suicide during the deployment, but acknowledged that there had been multiple suicide attempts and other mental health-related incidents.
The USS Abraham Lincoln had five chaplains aboard, along with a prevention counsellor, a psychologist, a clinical social worker, three behavioural health technicians and a specially trained psychological support dog.
Cao also acknowledged that the carrier’s participation in combat operations against Iran, combined with limited opportunities for resupply, temporarily reduced the number of main meal options available to personnel from two choices to one.
He maintained, however, that four meals were provided each day and that personnel received sufficient caloric intake.
One member of the carrier’s air wing either fell or jumped from the ship in early August, Cao said, but was quickly recovered by a search-and-rescue helicopter.
In March, another sailor attempted to enter the sea but was stopped by fellow crew members. The sailor received medical care before being returned to a home port.
The USS Abraham Lincoln spent more than 250 days at sea during its Middle East deployment, amid reports of difficult living conditions, deteriorating mental health among some personnel and shortages of food supplies.
