Mental health crisis aboard USS Abraham Lincoln: Sailors reportedly try to jump overboard

Washington: Military families and members of the US Congress are raising concerns over an intensifying mental health crisis aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, where about 5,000 sailors and Marines are enduring a record-breaking deployment at sea amid the ongoing conflict with Iran.

The Navy Times and Stars and Stripes have reported multiple incidents involving sailors attempting to go overboard as prolonged deployment, difficult conditions and mounting psychological stress take a toll on the crew.

The aircraft carrier is in its ninth month at sea and has spent 250 consecutive days without making a port call, reportedly setting a modern-era record for a US aircraft carrier.

The reports come amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran after a fragile peace MoU signed in June collapsed. The two countries have since exchanged tit-for-tat strikes, with the control of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most strategically important routes for crude oil shipments, at the centre of the dispute.

The United States has also reinforced its blockade on Iranian ports, with about 20 warships, including the USS Abraham Lincoln, deployed across the Middle East.

The Cradle reported that at least six sailors aboard the Abraham Lincoln had attempted to jump overboard.

In one incident, a sailor's wife said her husband intervened to save a colleague who was attempting to go overboard. Maria Rodriguez told Military Times that her husband grabbed the sailor by the arms and pulled him back onto the deck.

The reports of distress among the crew come as Washington continues to weigh its approach to the conflict with Iran.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said the United States was adopting a "low-key" approach towards Iran and was not currently seeking to launch a fresh military offensive, Axios reported.

"We are low-keying it," Axios quoted Trump as saying.

Trump added that the US was only "semi-negotiating" with Iran and was closely monitoring the country's worsening economic situation.

"We are only semi-negotiating with them. We are just watching Iran with its huge inflation and the fact they have no money."

Earlier, US Vice President JD Vance said Washington was working to establish a route that would allow commercial ships to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz while continuing to pressure Iran amid the escalating tensions.