USS Lincoln Suicide Attempts Confirmed
The Navy says eight sailors attempted suicide during the carrier group's long deployment.
September 24, 2026 · Updated Sep 24, 11:56am ET
New RepublicWave of Suicide Attempts on USS Lincoln Expose Horror of Trump’s War
Straight Arrow NewsActing Navy secretary confirms 8 suicide attempts across USS Lincoln strike group
New York PostEight sailors in USS Abraham Lincoln strike group attempted suicide during record deployment, Pentagon confirms
Democracy Now!Navy Admits Eight Sailors Attempted Suicide Aboard Carrier Strike Group
NewsNation8 USS Abraham Lincoln strike group sailors attempted suicide: Cao
Business InsiderThe USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group's grueling deployment saw a wave of suicide attempts
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Left · 2
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Right · 1
Pano rates the coverage Balanced.
What happened
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao
Hung CaoAmerican politician and Navy veteran (born 1971) told Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
Kirsten GillibrandAmerican politician (born 1966) that eight sailors assigned to the USS Abraham LincolnUSS Abraham LincolnUS Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier carrier strike group attempted suicide during its extended deployment. The strike group’s tour ran far beyond its original plan, including about 286 straight days at sea before a port call. Officials said combat operations against Iran drove the extension, while families described food shortages, plumbing failures, and mounting mental-health fears. The Navy said combat-zone resupply limits briefly reduced entrée choices, but crews still received enough food. Gillibrand condemned the administration, while Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed earlier accounts as exaggerated. Cao said no one died. The Navy says more counselors were sent.
How the left told it
Left-leaning coverage framed the attempts as proof of a severe morale and mental-health crisis tied to an unusually punishing deployment. The New Republic cast Trump and Hegseth as dismissing sailors’ suffering and poor shipboard conditions. It also used the crisis to condemn Trump’s Iran war as horrific, wasteful, and unpopular among those sent to fight it.
How the right told it
Only one right-leaning outlet we track covered this: New York Post, under the headline “Eight sailors in USS Abraham Lincoln strike group attempted suicide during record deployment…”.
USS Lincoln Suicide Crisis
Part of the storyline · Storyline →- Sep 24USS Lincoln Suicide Attempts Confirmed (this story)Balanced
- Sep 23USS Lincoln Sailors Attempt SuicideMostly Left
