USS Abraham Lincoln conditions under scrutiny after reports sailors attempted to jump overboard

US Senator Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut) has demanded a formal inquiry into the conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in a letter sent Wednesday to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao. Blumenthal, who himself served in the US Marine Corps Reserve, sent the letter following reports of several US Navy service members stationed aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln attempting to jump overboard as the aircraft carrier enters its ninth month of deployment at sea. The Navy later confirmed that a sailor went overboard earlier in the month but that the circumstances around the incident were still under investigation. Two American newspapers that cover matters related to the US military, Navy Times and Stars and Stripes, originally reported on the matter earlier this week. The carrier has spent nearly 250 consecutive days at sea without making land since its departure from San Diego in November 2025. It was originally deployed for duty in the South China Sea before being rerouted to the Middle East ahead of the outbreak of Operations Epic Fury in February 2026. "The Lincoln's extended deployment raises broader questions about the Navy's ability to sustainably generate carrier forces while preserving service member well-being, maintenance, schedules, fleet readiness, and the capacity to respond to future contingencies," wrote Blumenthal in his letter. Citing reports of supply shortages, water contamination, and several other issues that have arisen over the past months, Blumenthal granted the US Navy two weeks, until August 27, to provide answers. In his questions posed to the naval force, Blumenthal requested details surrounding Lincoln's extended deployment, how the Navy assesses the mental health and morale of its soldiers, and how it has worked to solve the quality-of-life problems that have been reported on board the carrier. Further, Blumenthal asked the Navy to explain what military objective Lincoln's ongoing deployment is meant to achieve and how the US Defense Department "assess[es] whether the carrier's continued presence is necessary to accomplish that objective." US Senator Ruben Gallego (Arizona) echoed Blumenthal in a post to X/Twitter on Thursday, saying that he is looking into conducting an official oversight visit with a bipartisan Senate Delegation due to the reports. "Unlike [Donald Trump], I've seen active duty. The way he's treating our service members as he carries out this illegal war is not just disgusting; it's dangerous," Gallego wrote. "These sailors are owed a sense of when they will go home." "The stories of crew members threatening to jump off the ship are a frightening alarm bell as to how bad the situation has become: moldy showers, sporadic hot water, rationed meals and soap, broken toilets, and grueling 12- to 16-hour shifts with no days off." "Congress must do its duty to provide oversight and hold the administration accountable for these actions," he said. Later on Thursday, Hegseth rejected the claims, saying that the reports about Lincoln's conditions are "misrepresented." Late last week, Cao and several other senior Navy officials had reportedly held a town hall-style meeting with the families of the service members aboard the Lincoln. One of the spouses told Cao and the other officials that her husband had sent her a message on Thursday saying that "he hopes he doesn't wake up tomorrow," reported Stars and Stripes, citing one of the meeting attendees. According to the spouse, officials didn't directly address that or other similar statements presented to them by concerned family members, but did affirm that those aboard Lincoln had access to mental health professionals, chaplains, and doctors. Navy Times reported that Cao said that the US Navy is preparing the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group to relieve Lincoln, but could not provide a timeline due to "operational security." Later on Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the USS George Washington aircraft carrier is being sent to replace Lincoln as part of a "previously scheduled rotation plan," citing US officials familiar with the matter. Annabelle Loma, the wife of one of the service members who tried to jump from the aircraft carrier, told Navy Times that her husband had been repeatedly overextended before his attempt. "He's scared," Loma told Navy Times. "He thinks he'll get a dishonorable discharge, and just because he was burnt out, his 13-year career is ruined, just like that. That's not fair, that's not right. That's not what he should be worrying about right now." According to Navy Times, the Lincoln's ombudsman had initially called Loma to inform her of the incident and that her husband was put on medical hold. She has not heard anything else from the US Navy "in recent weeks," Navy Times reported. Both papers gave details of several other attempts made by service members to jump overboard, including an incident where the jumper was restrained by other soldiers who happened to be on watch.