A growing mental health crisis is being reported aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, as roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines endure an exceptionally prolonged deployment amid ongoing US military operations in the Middle East.

According to reports by the Navy Times and Stars and Stripes, multiple sailors have reportedly attempted to go overboard during the deployment, raising serious concerns among military families and members of Congress about the psychological toll of extended time at sea.

The aircraft carrier has now spent about 250 consecutive days without making port, reportedly setting a modern-era record for a US aircraft carrier. The crew is in its ninth month at sea, with the deployment repeatedly extended amid the continuing conflict involving Iran.

The concerns came to a head during a town hall meeting in San Diego attended by around 200 family members and senior Navy officials.

One spouse reportedly told acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao that her husband had sent her a message saying he hoped he would not wake up the following day.

Other family members described growing frustration and said they had lost confidence in Navy leadership over the conditions facing their relatives aboard the carrier.

Reports also described incidents in which sailors intervened to prevent fellow crew members from going overboard.

Annabelle Loma, whose husband is serving aboard the Lincoln, told Navy Times that he had attempted to jump overboard after his deployment was repeatedly extended. She said he feared that seeking help or being unable to continue would jeopardize his military career.

Concerns have also focused on living conditions aboard the warship.

Rep. Mike Levin of California has criticized reports of moldy showers, broken toilets, prolonged laundry outages, shortages of hot water and inadequate food supplies. He said some sailors had reported receiving extremely limited meals and shortages of basic hygiene products.

Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, a former Army Ranger who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, has also warned that pressure on the sailors and their families is increasing with each passing week.

The allegations have previously been disputed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who dismissed reports about conditions aboard the carrier as “fake news.”

The USS Abraham Lincoln left San Diego on November 21, initially bound for the Pacific. It was subsequently redirected to the Middle East following the outbreak of the US-Israel war with Iran.

According to reports cited in the source material, the crew has had only two days on land during the deployment—one in Guam in December and another in Oman in July. The deployment was initially scheduled to end in May but has since been extended multiple times.

The prolonged deployment has placed additional pressure on sailors who have spent months operating without regular opportunities to return ashore or reunite with their families.

The concerns aboard the Lincoln come amid broader evidence of the psychological pressures associated with extended naval deployments.

A study cited in the reports found that sailors face distinctive stressors at sea, including loud noise, inadequate rest and limited access to mental and physical healthcare. Nearly half of surveyed deployed sailors reportedly said they were not receiving adequate assistance in dealing with stress.

Researchers concluded that improving access to healthcare aboard ships was urgently necessary given the continuing problem of military suicides.

The situation aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln has consequently prompted renewed scrutiny of the Navy's ability to safeguard the physical and mental well-being of service members during exceptionally long deployments. (ILKHA)