Navy reveals eight suicide attempts aboard USS Lincoln strike group during Iran combat deployment

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao told Congress that eight sailors assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during a deployment that included combat operations against Iran. The letter, dated Tuesday and addressed to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, covers crew members from the carrier, its air wing, escorting destroyers and embarked squadrons. No service members died by suicide during the deployment.

The strike group of 6,000 to 7,000 sailors remained at sea for over six months without port visits while conducting a high tempo of combat operations. A U.S. military official described eight attempts as "incredibly high," noting recent carrier deployments typically see one or two per year. The attempt rate was roughly consistent with the active-duty Navy's 2024 average of 356 attempts across 337,000 sailors.

“Eight attempted suicides is incredibly high. The strain of combat ops is much higher than normal deployments.”

Cao also disclosed that one sailor went overboard from the Lincoln in early August. The sailor was rescued by a search-and-rescue helicopter, treated aboard and transferred for further care. The sailor's wife told MS NOW she was not notified until five days after the Aug. 3 incident and that her husband now faces disciplinary action. Another sailor was stopped from going overboard in March and evacuated to San Diego.

Despite the attempts, Cao wrote that the Lincoln's crew remains resilient. Gillibrand said the letter shows conditions the Trump administration dismissed as "fake news" were serious and deteriorating. The Navy did not respond to requests for comment on the letter.