8 sailors on USS Abraham Lincoln attempted suicide

Eight sailors of the strike group of the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed in the Gulf region for a long time for the war against Iran, attempted suicide, said Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao. The information was reported by British media outlet The Guardian. Cao conveyed this information in a letter to US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand last Tuesday. He provided the information in response to Gillibrand's questions about the living standards of US sailors deployed in the Gulf region.

In the letter, Cao said that since the start of the Abraham Lincoln's deployment, there have been a total of eight suicide attempts across the entire strike group. These include members of the carrier's crew, the carrier air wing, the strike group and the destroyer squadron, sailors of accompanying destroyers and all aviation squadrons on board.

US media outlet CNN first published a report on Cao's statement.

The Abraham Lincoln anchored at the Thai tourist city of Pattaya on September 1 after staying at sea continuously for 286 days. The ship's deployment was supposed to end in May, but it was extended as the war continued.

Cao said that in March, a sailor tried to jump into the sea from the ship, but colleagues stopped him. In August, another sailor fell into the sea from the ship. He was rescued and given treatment, and later moved off the ship for further treatment.

Earlier in August, two military newspapers published reports on the deterioration of the mental health of the Abraham Lincoln's sailors. These reports also mentioned multiple attempts to jump into the sea from the ship. Democrats later expressed concern over the matter and demanded an investigation into the situation of the ship.

Meanwhile, in August, reports also emerged of the presence of fungus in the ship's bathrooms and a decline in stocks of essential items including food and soap. Cao said that at one point, the option to choose the main food item was reduced from two to one. However, he claimed that nutritious and balanced food was served four times a day.

Cao acknowledged that there was also some delay in sending essential items to the crew after stocks declined.

On the other hand, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had earlier described media reports on the condition of the Abraham Lincoln's sailors as insignificant. He claimed that there was no shortfall on the administration's part in providing necessary support to the sailors.