US sailors hit by strain of long aircraft carrier deployment

Some sailors have reportedly tried throwing themselves into the sea, basic supplies can run short and sanitation is going awry: life on America's giant Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is increasingly difficult as the Iran war drags on.

The ship -- now in its ninth month of deployment -- is expected to be replaced in the Middle East by another carrier, the George Washington, in a move sure to be welcomed by the Lincoln's crew and their loved ones.

But concerns about conditions on the Lincoln have prompted lawmakers to demand answers from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, who insists the situation has been "misrepresented."

Jonathan Schroden, chief research officer at the Center for Naval Analyses, said the warship's sailors face significant challenges from their long time at sea.

"Even in peacetime conditions, the quarters are cramped, the workdays are long, the food is not great, and it's difficult to get fresh air, exercise and even a decent night's sleep," Schroden said.

"Add to that the stress that comes with being involved in combat operations -- in which your ship is constantly threatened -- and you can see how difficult life becomes for these sailors," he said.

The Lincoln departed California in November 2025 for duty in the South China Sea and was rerouted to the Middle East before US-Israeli attacks on Iran that began in late February.

Schroden noted that carrier strike groups are generally designed for six-month deployments for reasons "including sailor welfare."

Going beyond that "creates all kinds of compounding problems that the Navy then has to deal with down the line."

This includes increased maintenance costs and decreased readiness windows while ships are prepared to deploy again, he said.

Of special concern are accounts of suicide attempts aboard the Lincoln, with the Navy Times reporting this week that two sailors tried to jump off the ship.

Schroden said he had seen "reports of similar events occasionally over the past couple of decades" and that "it's rare but not unheard of, though tragic in every case."

The US Navy did not immediately provide answers to questions from AFP on conditions aboard the Lincoln and the impact on the vessel's readiness.

- 'Alarming conditions' -

In two recent meetings, family members clashed with Navy leadership over the difficult conditions -- including food shortages -- faced by the 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard the Lincoln and demanded to know when loved ones would return home, MSNOW reported.

The Lincoln is not the only carrier to face issues due to a lengthy time at sea: the USS Gerald R. Ford also suffered various problems during a recent 326-day deployment.

The Ford took part in US operations in the Caribbean, where Washington's forces have carried out strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats and seized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, before being dispatched to the Middle East.

A fire broke out in a laundry room aboard the Ford in March, injuring two sailors and causing major damage to some 100 beds, according to the US military, while US media reported significant problems with the ship's toilet system while at sea.

Reports of conditions on the Lincoln have sparked an outcry from some lawmakers.

Senator Ruben Gallego called for "an official oversight visit with the bipartisan Senate delegation... to investigate the reported alarming conditions."

And Richard Blumenthal, another Democratic senator, said there were "widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns" on the ship.

Hegseth, however, told journalists that conditions aboard the carrier have been "completely misrepresented."

"We make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment," he said.

Blumenthal said the reported issues on the ship raise the broader question of "whether the Navy can sustain the operational tempo now being demanded of its carrier force."

Schroden said the Lincoln "appears to remain capable of conducting the missions with which it's been tasked."

"But as any sailor knows, the longer a ship is out to sea, the more problems it incurs and the harder the days become for those onboard," he added.

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