It is not yet “Mutiny on the Bounty”, but the crew aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and their families back home are making it clear to Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of War, and other Pentagon officials that one of America’s most iconic warfighting vessels is plagued with a potentially deadly morale problem.
Back in April, barely a month into Donald Trump’s war with Iran, sailors serving on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier started grousing on social media about dwindling food supplies. Images sent to spouses and parents were leaked to the media and appeared to support claims that the ship’s supplies were coming under growing pressure.
Some “meals” consisted of little more than a handful of boiled carrots and two dried-out slices of unidentifiable meat. Sailors aboard the nearby USS Tripoli were also lodging similar complaints.
At the time, Hegseth denied any problems existed, claiming that the vessels had more than 30 days of food supplies for their crews. “Our sailors deserve and receive the best,” he said.
But four months later, the crisis has intensified. This week, sailors’ families confronted top Pentagon officials at what military newspaper The Stars and Stripes described as “intense town hall meetings” held in San Diego, where the Lincoln is based.
Families reportedly warned acting secretary of the navy, Hung Cao, that they were increasingly fearful of suicides among the men and women serving aboard the carrier, which has been at sea for more than 250 consecutive days, more than 40 of them engaged in combat with Iran.
Last month, the Lincoln set a new record, having spent longer continuously at sea without a port call than any US aircraft carrier in history.
Families say the mental health of sailors is now at immediate risk. They reported at least one incident in which a crew member was prevented by his colleagues from jumping overboard.
The 5,000 men and women aboard the carrier say food and basic hygiene supplies are running low, physical and mental exhaustion is setting in, and letters and care packages sent from home have failed to reach the ship for months.
The Lincoln has spent longer continuously at sea without a port call than any US aircraft carrier in history (Photo: US Navy/Getty)“Our mental health and physical health is in danger. We need help,” one sailor wrote, in a message his family shared with The Stars and Stripes.
Deployed aircraft carriers normally make a port call at least once every 45 days. Without an opportunity to disembark and enjoy time onshore, the crew is said to be becoming increasingly despondent, not least because Trump’s war with Iran shows no sign of concluding.
It is an irony of the conflict that US troops across the Middle East have been unable to receive any letters or parcels sent to them.
The US postal service suspended delivery of any item mailed to military postcodes in the Middle East on 3 March, 72 hours after the conflict began. The restrictions remain in place “until further notice”, with air force and naval commanders saying that the ongoing hostilities have made regional airspace and shipping corridors too unsafe for deliveries to resume.
Military Times reported that multiple efforts have been made by sailors to jump overboard from the Lincoln. One sailor’s wife claims her husband was placed on “medical hold” after attempting to jump. “He’s scared. He thinks he’ll get a dishonorable discharge… just because he was burnt out, his 13-year career is ruined,” Annabelle Loma told the newspaper.
Faced with incontrovertible evidence of the growing morale crisis, Pentagon chiefs are now at least acknowledging the issue.
An EA-18G Growler prepares to launch from the Lincoln. The aircraft carrier’s plight is puncturing the President’s efforts to depict the US military as near invincible (Photo: US Navy/SWNS)“We hear you loud and clear,” Vice Admiral Joseph Cahill, the commander of US Naval Surface Forces, told families. He said the Trump administration understands “the impact this has on families, on service members and the long-term ability of us to… sustain our forces’ health”.
Cao reportedly said that the USS Theodore Roosevelt will soon deploy to the Middle East, to replace the Lincoln. It is currently docked in San Diego, a minimum of 18 sailing days away.
But with Trump’s war showing no signs of concluding, and his quest for an off-ramp increasingly futile, the Lincoln’s plight is puncturing the President’s efforts to depict the US military as near invincible.
The navy now says it is assessing the troops’ psychological readiness, and claims sailors on board have access to counselors, chaplains, medical staff and other support services.
However, sailors and their families are increasingly despondent, and the navy will not provide reporters with details of how many have attempted to jump overboard.
Manuel Guevara told Military Times that his son, serving on the Lincoln, sounded exhausted, depressed and worried about basic issues like food, laundry facilities and living conditions.
Guevara described the experience as “an unbearable burden on my heart”.
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