About 5,000 sailors and marines began their tour of duty aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on November 21. In January, the ship was dispatched to the Middle East to take part in the Iran-Iraq war and the US blockade of Iranian ports. The crew was supposed to complete its mission in May, but that has not happened.
A relative tells Military Times that her husband had his deployment extended several times when he tried to jump overboard. She describes him as “burned out.”
Broken toilets
The ship has been at sea for 250 days and has not docked at any port in over six months. This record-long stint, combined with reports of food shortages, broken toilets and contaminated water, has led relatives to raise alarms about mental illness among the crew.
In another incident on the ship, a sailor stopped a colleague from jumping overboard. According to witnesses, he pulled the colleague back onto the deck by the arms. Another similar incident is reported by Stars and Stripes.
Will be relieved
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal sent a list of questions to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Wednesday about the problems on board.
Pete Hegseth has previously dismissed the alarms, saying that the country's military leadership is ensuring that "every ship, every crew, every captain has everything they need," according to The Washington Post.
On Thursday, it was announced that the USS Abraham Lincoln will finally be replaced by another ship. However, the rotation was reportedly planned even before the reports of the problems on board.
