Eight crew members aboard USS Abraham Lincoln have attempted suicide during record-breaking deployment
The vessel had been at sea for 286 days without a port call following a lengthy deployment to support the US in the war with Iran.
Eight crew members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have attempted suicide during the ship's record-breaking stint at sea, a US navy official has revealed.
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The navy aircraft carrier, with roughly 5,000 crew members on board, docked in Thailand earlier this month amid reports of deteriorating mental health among its crew.
No deaths have been attributed to suicide during the nine-month deployment, which has set a record for consecutive days at sea.
Acting navy secretary Hung Cao revealed the figure in a letter to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.
The vessel had been at sea for 286 days without a port call following a lengthy deployment to support the US in the war with Iran.
Family of those on board previously expressed concern about the length of the deployment, conditions on board and the impact on crew members' mental health.
The Lincoln was deployed last November and was due to return in May.
A standard deployment lasts six to seven months, with frequent stops to replenish supplies.
The eight navy personnel included crew members and sailors from the carrier air wing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff, escorting destroyers, and all embarked aviation squadrons, the letter said.
In a statement, Ms Gillibrand said the conditions on the ship were “serious and deteriorating.”
“Our troops and their families make immense sacrifices every single day, yet the president dismissed them with open disrespect,” she said.
The vessel is heading to San Diego in California following a stop in Guam after stopping in Thailand for five days earlier this month.
It comes after the US navy said officials had "not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship".
The official said in a statement: "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."
The Lincoln has five chaplains, a clinical psychologist, a clinical social worker, behavioural health technicians and an embedded integrated prevention coordination counsellor to support the crew, the official said.