Dorothy

“The crew is tired, but they continue to fire on all cylinders. History will record this deployment as one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era.”

Family members of sailors aboard the Lincoln have expressed concern about their mental health deteriorating due to the conditions, with some sailors having reportedly attempted to jump overboard.

The Navy Times and Stars and Stripes, two leading publications specializing in the US military, have reported multiple attempts by sailors to jump overboard as poor conditions and mental stresses aboard the Lincoln reach a breaking point during its ninth months at sea.

The Military Times reported that several sailors have tried to jump from the ship. Hegseth told reporters Thursday that this was “misrepresented,” adding, “We make sure every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment.”

Allegations about conditions aboard the Lincoln emerged following reports of numerous complaints, including food shortages, contaminated water, toilet problems, and a spike in suicidal ideation after months without a port call.

Multiple sailors reportedly attempted to jump overboard during a nearly year-long deployment. Getty Images

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said media reports about the conditions on the ship are "misrepresented" and said the U.S. can indefinitely maintain a naval blockade on Iran.

Democrats on Sunday intensified their demands for answers from the Trump administration over conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln as the aircraft carrier’s nearly nine-month deployment continued fueling concern over crew morale, mental health and living conditions.

Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) sharply criticized President Donald Trump over his handling of the war in Iran, accusing the president of showing little concern for United States service members and their families amid reports of troubling conditions on the U.S. aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln.

Maryland's Democratic Governor Wes Moore, a US Army veteran, told CNN on Sunday that the reported conditions were "heartbreaking" and the Republican president should have "more compassion".

Appearing on CNN’s State of the Union, Moore said: “The response of the president of United States pisses me off. And it should piss all of us off.”

Moore also criticized the financial cost of the conflict, saying, “while he continues to rake in billions of dollars, on a war that nobody understands and that all of us are paying for.”

Democrats demand investigation Democrats are calling for the Pentagon to investigate and take accountability over the conditions.

WASHINGTON — Families of sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln are condemning President Trump's comments on the ship's record deployment.

Retired Adm Mike Mullen, a former chair of the joint chiefs of staff, pushed back on Trump’s comments during his own appearance on Sunday on This Week, saying such lengthy deployments take a toll on crews.

“Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody,” Hegseth told reporters.

Gallego also said he had spoken to some of the crew aboard the ship. "We are able to talk to a lot of these sailors," Gallego said. "We are able to talk to their spouses. And this is why I think it's important they allow us a bipartisan group of members of the House and the Senate to go and visit these sailors - something that has happened before - to make sure that we know that they're doing well and that the secretary of defense is not lying to us."