(US flag. Photo by Punch News)
The U.S. Navy has confirmed that eight service members with the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group tried to end their lives during an extended deployment, with no d£aths from these attempts.
The Navy secretary shared the figure in a letter to a senator who asked about conditions and mental health of those serving with the strike group.
Since the Lincoln’s deployment began, there have been eight attempts across the strike group.
This includes crew members, carrier air wing staff, strike group and destroyer squadron workers, sailors on escorting destroyers and those in aviation squadrons.
About 7,500 service members, mostly sailors, make up the strike group.
Two of the eight attempts involved sailors going overboard while the Lincoln was working in the Middle East.
One sailor went overboard in August and was rescued by search-and-rescue helicopter, while another tried to go overboard in March but was stopped by fellow sailors.
The Navy did not give details about the other six attempts.
The disclosure comes as people look closely at the unusually long deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln and relatives and lawmakers express worry about conditions aboard the carrier, including food supplies and sailors’ mental state.
The Lincoln spent 286 days without stopping at a port while supporting U.S. military work in the Middle East.
The deployment which started in November was supposed to end in May but went longer after war with Iran began in February.
The carrier finally stopped in Thailand in early September before heading back to San Diego.
A senator had raised concerns about conditions and medical resources aboard the Lincoln, calling the situation serious and getting worse.
The Navy has pushed back on some reports about worsening conditions and said sailors had access to medical and mental health backing.
The Lincoln has five chaplains, a clinical psychologist, a clinical social worker, behaviour health workers and an integrated prevention coordination counsellor helping its personnel.