U.S. Sending Relief to USS Abraham Lincoln Amid Claims of Sailors Jumping Overboard: Report

The U.S. Navy is sending relief to the beleaguered USS Abraham Lincoln amid reports of bleak conditions and desperate sailors jumping overboard.

The aircraft carrier USS George Washington has been sent to the Lincoln, which has been deployed in the Arabian Sea amid the ongoing war in Iran, CNN’s Pamela Brown reported Thursday.

It’s unclear when relief would arrive, Brown noted:

Now, I’m told by this official that this has been in the works for a while. They had always had a plan for the ship to have relief if it’s out at sea this long. So this is the plan and works.

But of course, it comes at a time of heightened scrutiny. You’re hearing more from family members of those on the ship and now from democratic lawmakers, one of which is trying to get a tour. Senator Ruben Gallego of the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Now, this official wouldn’t give me a timeline of when the George Washington would arrive. And part of the reason why is operational security.

But also I learned just from being on the ship and talking to those on board, that there had been several times where they were told they would be home by a certain date, and that deadline passed.

And so they also don’t want to give false hope at this point. But at the same time, this uncertainty is really hard for the families.

Word of help comes as CNN reported a sailor went overboard from the USS Abraham Lincoln last month amid a possible mental health crisis among service members on the vessel, whose deployment has been extended as a result of the Iran war, CNN reported on Thursday.

The sailor was rescued by fellow service members a short time later, according to CNN. It’s not clear why he or she went overboard or when they returned to duty, if at all.

One relative shared text message from a sailor aboard the Lincoln which noted a lack of fresh food and meat that arrived “rotten.”

More than 5,000 sailors and Marines set sail from San Diego on the Lincoln on Nov. 21, but the deployment — originally set to end in May — has been extended as the Iran war continues.

The Navy has denied any increase in reports of suicidal ideation among sailors aboard the Lincoln.

Watch above via CNN.

This is a breaking story and has been updated.

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