US carrier sailors tried to jump overboard
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.
However, President Donald Trump dismissed concerns over living conditions and the mental health of service members on the aircraft carrier, while confirming the ship would soon rotate out.
Asked by reporters whether family members were worried about the situation on the USS Abraham Lincoln, Trump said "no, they're not."
Trump also rejected the idea that the ship - now in its ninth month at sea - had been deployed for too long. "No, no, no, not nearly enough," he said.
The president meanwhile confirmed reports that the ship was due to be swapped out with another aircraft carrier, as the United States remains locked in a stalemate with Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz and the country's nuclear program.
"That ship is moving right now or very shortly and it's being replaced with another very similar ship," Trump said.
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 Centre 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 added.
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 outlined.
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, but US Central Command posted on X that the crew "remain resilient and resolved after more than 260 days at sea". It added that no service members aboard the carrier have died and one sailor who fell overboard on August 3 "was quickly and safely recovered". AFP