Eight sailors assigned to US carrier group that fought in Iran war attempted suicide, Navy secretary tells Congress

Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story contains discussion of suicide. Help is available if you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters. In the US, call or text 988 for help. The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide have contact information for crisis centers around the world.

Eight US Navy personnel assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during a period that included when the ships undertook combat operations against Iran and the carrier set a modern record for its time at sea, according to a letter from the service’s acting secretary, which was obtained by CNN.

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao revealed the number, which has not been previously reported and covers crew members from several ships that travel together, including the carrier, in written responses to questions posed by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand about the morale and mental health of the USS Abraham Lincoln’s crew. Cao wrote that no service members had killed themselves during the deployment.

The rate of suicide attempts among the Lincoln strike group’s sailors was roughly consistent with that of the entire active duty Navy in 2024, the most recent year for which the Pentagon has released suicide data. That year, the Navy saw 356 suicide attempts among its estimated 337,000 active duty sailors.

“Since the beginning of Lincoln’s deployment, there have been a total of eight suicide attempts across the strike group,” Cao wrote to Gillibrand, a Democrat and member of the Senate Armed Services, in a letter dated Tuesday. “This number includes the Lincoln crew and sailors from the carrier airwing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff, escorting destroyers and all embarked aviation squadrons.”

Between 6,000 and 7,000 US Navy sailors were deployed as part of the Lincoln strike group across roughly a half dozen ships — with the carrier kept out of port for over six months while conducting a high rate of combat operations against Iran.

“Eight attempted suicides is incredibly high,” one US military official told CNN, noting recent carrier strike group deployments have had one or two per year. “The strain of combat ops is much higher than normal deployments. No port calls, constant alerts, etc.”

The Navy did not respond ahead of publication to a request for comment about the letter.

The Lincoln deployed with various mental health resources onboard, including five chaplains, one embedded integrated prevention counselor, one psychologist, one clinical social worker, three behavioral health technicians and one expeditionary facility dog, according to Cao’s letter.

CNN previously reported that two sailors assigned to the Lincoln strike group , one from the carrier and one from another ship, had jumped overboard in recent months. Both were rescued, US officials said. Others were prevented from jumping, according to reports from the Navy Times and Stars and Stripes.

In his letter to Gillibrand, Cao also confirmed that a sailor assigned to the airwing went overboard from the ship in early August but was “quickly recovered” and treated by the Lincoln’s medical department. “Additionally, one sailor attempted to go overboard in March and was stopped by his shipmates. That sailor was also provided immediate medical care and subsequently returned to homeport.”

The Navy previously said in a statement to CNN, “We have not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship. We take every service member’s well-being seriously and have religious, medical and mental health professionals available to assess and address concerns as they arise.”

A US official also previously told CNN that the Navy does not believe there is a correlation between deployment length and thoughts of self-harm, and that man overboard incidents are not unique to this group.

A crew member serving on the Lincoln previously described to CNN that morale on the carrier was very low and said they had heard repeatedly about suicidal ideation by fellow crew members. And there were regular strains on essential amenities — toilets and water fountains around the ship frequently closed, and hot water was often unavailable, the crew member said.

“Everyday we wake up and listen to our captain speak, we are desperately hoping and anxious for updates on our return,” the crew member, speaking before the ship had been ordered to return to its home port in San Diego, told CNN. The ship left the Middle East in August and is expected back in San Diego in the coming weeks.

Other sailors aboard the Lincoln who spoke with CNN described conditions unlike their prior deployments, largely due to the combat that has kept the carrier from making stops at friendly ports. Ships can take on new supplies and allow their sailors to rest and relax during those port calls.

CNN’s Davis Winkie contributed to this report

Chalinee Thirasupa/路透社

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据美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）获得的一封美国海军代理部长的信函显示，在“亚伯拉罕·林肯”号航母打击群执行对伊朗的作战任务期间，有八名美国海军人员试图自杀。当时，该航母还创下了现代航母海上航行时间最长的纪录。

代理海军部长洪曹在回复参议员克尔斯滕·吉利布兰德关于“亚伯拉罕·林肯”号航母船员士气和心​​理健康问题的书面答复中透露了这一此前未曾公开的数字，该数字涵盖了包括航母在内的多艘一同执行任务的舰艇的船员。洪曹在答复中写道，此次部署期间没有军人自杀。

林肯号航母打击群水兵的自杀未遂率与2024年整个现役海军的自杀未遂率大致相当，2024年是五角大楼公布自杀数据的最新年份。当年，海军约33.7万名现役水兵中，共有356人企图自杀。

曹在周二写给参议院军事委员会民主党成员吉利布兰德的信中说：“自林肯号航母部署以来，整个打击群共发生了八起自杀未遂事件。这其中包括林肯号的全体船员、航母舰载机联队、打击群和驱逐舰中队的官兵、护航驱逐舰以及所有舰载航空中队的官兵。”

大约有 6000 至 7000 名美国海军水兵部署在林肯号航母打击群的六艘舰艇上——这艘航母在港口外停留了六个多月，期间对伊朗进行了高强度的作战行动。

一位美国军方官员告诉CNN：“八起自杀未遂事件数量高得惊人。”他指出，近期航母打击群的部署中，每年通常只有一两起自杀未遂事件。“作战行动的压力远高于普通部署。没有港口停靠，持续不断的警戒等等。”

在刊登之前，海军方面没有回应有关这封信的置评请求。

根据曹的信，林肯号部署时配备了各种心理健康资源，包括五名牧师、一名嵌入式综合预防咨询师、一名心理学家、一名临床社会工作者、三名行为健康技术人员和一条远征服务犬。

美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）此前报道称，近几个月来，隶属于“林肯”号航母打击群的两名水兵——一名来自航母，另一名来自另一艘舰艇——曾跳海。美国官员表示，两人均已获救。据《海军时报》和《星条旗报》报道，另有一些水兵试图跳海，但被阻止了。

曹在给吉利布兰德的信中还证实，一名隶属于航空联队的士兵在8月初从船上落水，但“很快获救”，并由林肯号的医疗部门进行了治疗。“此外，3月份还有一名士兵试图落水，被他的战友阻止。这名士兵也立即得到了医疗救治，随后返回了母港。”

海军此前在给CNN的一份声明中表示：“我们没有发现舰上自杀意念或自杀企图有所增加。我们认真对待每一位官兵的身心健康，并配备了宗教、医疗和心理健康方面的专业人员，随时评估和解决出现的问题。”

一位美国官员此前也告诉 CNN，海军认为部署时长与自残念头之间没有关联，而且落水事件并非该群体所独有。

一名曾在“林肯”号航母上服役的船员此前向CNN透露，舰上士气低落，并表示他们多次听到其他船员有自杀倾向。这名船员还说，舰上基本生活设施经常短缺——厕所和饮水机经常关闭，热水也经常供应不足。

“我们每天醒来听船长讲话，都迫切地盼望着能听到有关返航的消息，”一名船员在船只接到返回圣地亚哥母港的命令前告诉CNN。这艘船于8月离开中东，预计将在未来几周内返回圣地亚哥。

其他接受CNN采访的“林肯”号航母水兵描述了与以往部署截然不同的情况，这主要是由于战斗导致航母无法停靠友方港口。在停靠港口期间，舰艇可以补充物资，并让水兵们休息放松。

美国有线电视新闻网 (CNN) 的戴维斯·温基 (Davis Winkie) 对本报告做出了贡献