USS Lincoln to be replaced amid growing concerns for troops’ mental health
- The U.S. military is preparing to deploy the USS George Washington to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln as part of a previously planned rotation, U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal.
- The USS Abraham Lincoln has spent a record-setting 200 days out at sea without a port call during its deployment in the Middle East.
- Sailors and their families reported severe living conditions aboard the Lincoln, including food shortages, contaminated water, plumbing failures, and mail disruptions. Multiple sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have attempted to go overboard, their families told MilitaryTimes.
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal sent a letter on Wednesday to defense leadership highlighting safety concerns and deteriorating mental health among the ship’s crew.
- “There have been widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns, and disruptions in the mail system, which have caused many care packages in route to the ship to be lost in transit for months,” Blumenthal said.
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