US Navy Confirms Eig8 Sailors in Lincoln Strike Group Attempted Suicide During Record-Setting Deployment

Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao confirmed that eight service members in the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group attempted suicide during a record deployment, telling Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on 22 September that two licensed mental health clinicians remained aboard the carrier after a resiliency counsellor left.

Eight Suicide Attempts, No Deaths

Cao wrote to Gillibrand, a New York Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, that there had been 'a total of eight suicide attempts across the strike group' since the deployment began. No sailors died. The figure covers the carrier's crew, its air wing, and the escorting destroyers.

Between 6,000 and 7,000 sailors served across the roughly half a dozen ships, according to Cao's letter. At least two sailors jumped overboard and were rescued, and others were stopped before they could, US officials said.

The Lincoln left San Diego in November 2025 and was relieved by the USS George Washington after more than 250 days at sea, a modern record, after running combat operations against Iran and making a five-day port call in Thailand this month.

One Counsellor Out, Thousands Left Waiting

The stronger question is how the crew was supported. Military Times reported that after the ship's deployed resiliency counsellor left about six months in for personal reasons, roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard the Lincoln were left with two licensed clinicians, a psychologist and a clinical social worker.

Sailors described waiting weeks, sometimes months, for an appointment unless they were in immediate danger. Some providers worked 90-hour weeks, Military Times reported. Deployed resiliency counsellors handle stress, anxiety, and relationship strain, but they do not treat sailors experiencing suicidal ideation.

The Navy's Staffing Defence

The Navy says the staffing was adequate. Cao's letter counted five chaplains, three behavioural health technicians, a prevention counsellor, and a facility dog among the support, while only the psychologist and social worker remained as licensed clinicians aboard.

Commander Katie Pierce, an operational psychologist on the Navy's suicide prevention team, said one provider can handle roughly 1,600 to 2,500 people under the Navy's planning model. With two clinicians, a carrier of about 5,000 sailors and Marines sat at the upper end of that range. The service now has 34 resiliency counsellors, about 81% of its authorised posts.

Dismissed as Fake News

Concern had built for weeks. In August, families packed a San Diego town hall over food shortages and falling morale, and Gillibrand and 14 colleagues pressed Hegseth for answers.

President Donald Trump had dismissed earlier reports of poor conditions as fake news and praised the ship as 'beautifully maintained'. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Navy gave 'everything we can provide them at every single moment'. Gillibrand said what officials had brushed off as 'fake news' 'turned out to be serious and deteriorating conditions for our service members'.

CNN reported the attempt rate ran roughly in line with the Navy's 2024 figures, while a Navy official told ABC News the count was not unusual for a long tour. A US military official told CNN that eight attempts was 'incredibly high', noting recent carrier deployments had seen one or two.