US sailors are said to be jumping off this warship — and Iran is capitalising

Donald Trump may have several problems in the war against Iran — but a ship ain't one.

Or so the United States president insists, after batting away concerns of difficult conditions on board a long-deployed warship playing a major part in the conflict.

There are growing concerns for the crew members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which is currently on a record-breaking nine months at sea. The warship was deployed to the Middle East in January and is supporting US military operations by carrying aircraft and assisting the blockade of Iranian ports .

Without a port call in more than 200 days, it has broken modern US Navy records for consecutive days at sea. Dozens of military families have complained of food shortages, plumbing problems and declining mental health among crew members, with some even telling US media of attempts by loved ones to jump overboard.

Though the vessel is now returning to port, Trump has dismissed concerns about lengthy deployments, saying the ship has been at sea "not nearly long enough".

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But as the war shows no signs of ending, his administration is facing not just concerns from military families, but domestic calls for investigations and questions over his military strategy.

There are roughly 5,000 sailors and US Marines on board the vessel, according to US politicians.

Two military-focused outlets, Navy Times and Stars and Stripes, reported sailors were jumping overboard due to burnout and low morale. The outlets spoke to the wives of sailors who had either tried to jump or had witnessed and intervened when others tried to.

In a letter to US defence secretary Pete Hegseth, US Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal described reports of supply shortages, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns, and disruptions in the mail system.

Blumenthal also raised concern that extended Navy deployments may be becoming normalised as a "feature rather than an exception" in US military strategy.

But the Trump administration has dismissed media reports as misinformation. Hegseth said reports about conditions on the ship "completely misrepresented" the situation and that the government ensured every ship had "everything" that can be provided at "every single moment".

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said no service members aboard the aircraft carrier have died, but acknowledged one sailor who fell overboard on 3 August "was quickly and safely recovered" — without detailing why the incident occurred.

"The Sailors and Marines of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group remain resilient and resolved after more than 260 days at sea, 10,000 aircraft flights, and 1.5 million pounds of ordnance expended," it said in a statement.