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About 5,000 American sailors and Marines are aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East – and after spending 250 days without setting foot on land, growing reports suggest some are reaching a breaking point.
The USS Abraham Lincoln departed San Diego on Nov. 21, 2025, bound for the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Forbes, the deployment is on track to become the longest at-sea deployment in modern U.S. Navy history, and the extraordinary length of the mission is reportedly beginning to take a serious toll on the crew.
Now, the military families and lawmakers are increasingly raising concerns about the mental health and living conditions aboard as the aircraft carrier approaches nine months at sea.
According to reports from two leading military news organizations, The Navy Times and Stars and Stripes, the prolonged deployment is taking a serious toll on some members of the crew.
Several sailors have reportedly attempted to go overboard, according to accounts shared by military families. During a town hall in San Diego, worried spouses described the emotional strain their loved ones are experiencing.
Annabelle Loma told the outlet that her husband had attempted to jump overboard after his time at sea was repeatedly extended.
“He’s scared. He thinks he’ll get a dishonorable discharge, and just because he was burnt out his 13-year career is ruined, just like that,” she said.
One wife said her husband had sent her a deeply disturbing message telling her that ”he hopes he doesn’t wake up tomorrow”.
At the same time, photographs reportedly shared by sailors and their families have drawn attention to the food being served aboard the ship. One image appeared to show a dinner consisting of a small serving of boiled carrots, a dry meat patty and a gray piece of processed meat.
Other sailors and family members have described small portions, including meals with roughly half a cup of rice and two tortillas.
Families have also raised concerns about the condition of some facilities aboard the carrier, describing moldy showers, broken toilets and periods when hot water was unavailable.