Families raise alarm over USS Abraham Lincoln sailors’ mental health during extended deployment

Multiple sailors have reportedly tried or prepared to go overboard as families warn that exhaustion, uncertainty and months at sea are taking a toll.

Families of USS Abraham Lincoln sailors are raising alarms about mental health and exhaustion after multiple incidents in which crew members reportedly tried or prepared to go overboard during the aircraft carrier’s extended deployment. The concerns revive broader questions about military mental health and barriers some Black veterans have described when seeking mental health services. The USS Abraham Lincoln sailors have now been deployed for more than eight months with no publicly announced return date.

Military Times reported that Annabelle Loma’s husband is on medical hold after an attempt to go overboard. Loma said he had been repeatedly overextended and now fears the incident could end his 13-year Navy career.

In a separate incident, another sailor was preparing to go overboard when a shipmate intervened, according to Maria Rodriguez, the wife of the sailor who stepped in.

Military Times said the Navy has not provided a precise number of sailors who have attempted to go overboard or engaged in self-harm during the current deployment.

The Lincoln’s roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines deployed Nov. 21, 2025. The deployment was anticipated to end in May, but it has been extended while the carrier supports U.S. military operations against Iran in the Middle East.

More than 200 family members attended a meeting in San Diego last week with acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao. Families later raised concerns about sailors’ mental health, exhaustion and safety during a virtual meeting with Navy officials.

Vice Adm. Joseph Cahill, commander of Naval Surface Forces, acknowledged the strain on service members and their families. The Navy says the Lincoln has deployment-resilience counselors, chaplains, medical personnel and other support aboard the ship, and that leaders continually assess sailors’ psychological readiness.

Several relatives told Military Times that limited communication and uncertainty have intensified their concerns. Family members described loved ones sounding exhausted, discouraged or worried when they were able to make contact.

The Navy is preparing the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group to relieve the Lincoln, Cao told families, but officials have not disclosed when that transition will happen, citing operational security.

For the USS Abraham Lincoln sailors and their families, the absence of a firm homecoming date has become part of the strain. The reported incidents are putting renewed attention on how the Navy protects mental health during extended deployments.