Houston, we have a problem.

Harbor tug boats guide Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln at the Naval Base in Guam on December 11, 2025. Valerie Lynn Maigue/US Navy/File

As a former officer in the Army who was respected by his people, anger comes to mind in terms of just how bad the living conditions became during the months at sea the Lincoln was deployed without the respite of a port call and resupply of essential goods and services, a FUBAR for the ages based on a CF of an illegal Israeli/US sponsored war with no end in sight. 

The incident of the sailor going overboard, which has not been previously reported, adds to a growing list of concerns about the crew on the ship. Several Democratic lawmakers are calling for answers after concerns were raised by families of sailors aboard Lincoln about the deteriorating living conditions and worsening mental health during the ship’s record-breaking deployment.

Since the Lincoln left its home port of San Diego last November, the aircraft carrier has been deployed for more than 250 days after being redirected to the Middle East to support US operations in the war with Iran, now entering its sixth month. With more than 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard, it has not made a port call in more than 200 days, setting a modern-day record for consecutive days at sea, according to Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

A sailor directs an F/A-18E Super Hornet on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, Feb. 14, 2026. The Lincoln has been deployed more than eight months, and families of its roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines are bringing concerns about mental health and the risk of self-harm to Navy leaders.
(Daniel Kimmelman/U.S. Navy)

“There have been widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns,” aboard the ship, he said in the letter, as well as “disruptions in the mail system, which have caused many care packages in route to the ship to be lost in transit for months.”

In a statement to CNN, the US Navy said, “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.”

USS Abraham Lincoln

Houston, we have a problem.