SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A San Diego sailor who deployed on the USS Abraham Lincoln and has been in contact with people still serving on board says many of the problems being reported are common on almost every deployment he has experienced.
Parker Moore, retired Chief Petty Officer, said water shortages, limited showers, and food rationing are issues sailors regularly face at sea.
"You have to make your own water - when those machines go down, there's nobody there to save you. When you're only making a certain amount of water... laundry [won't] be a thing," Moore said. "You can only shower in cold water to limit the time."
Texts Moore received from people currently on board described difficult conditions, including food and water rationing, six months without a port call, mail disruptions and suicidal ideation and attempts from sailors on board.
While Moore has not been at sea for as long as the current deployment, he said he experienced similar conditions on most of his deployments.
"These conditions have been this way always," Moore said.
Perhaps the most startling aspect of the reports involves attempted suicides on board. Moore said he has seen that on multiple deployments and believes morale could be especially low this time due to a lack of mail — including packages and letters from families — as well as the current political climate.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is heading back to home port for replacement, but the Department of Defense did not confirm when or where the ship would be docking.
The Navy provided these statements to ABC10's prior requests for comment:
Statement on Mental Health:
“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 (CVN 72) has five Navy Chaplains, one clinical psychologist, one clinical social worker, three behavioral health technicians and an embedded integrated prevention coordination (EIPC) counselor. The ship also has an expeditionary facility dog, CAPT Fathom, to support crew morale and emotional welfare. These resources are available to Sailors and Marines throughout the Strike Group 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Sailors go through normal transitions throughout a deployment cycle. Adapting to life at sea can be difficult, so we've learned how to provide resources and help Sailors with these transitions. We are not experiencing an uptick in mental health issues aboard Abraham Lincoln.”
Statement on Supply Shortages:
“Lincoln is operating in a highly contested environment where traditional supply hubs in the Middle East were disrupted by combat actions. In response, leadership prioritized mission-critical supplies: first food, then hygiene items, then mail. Current reports from the ship confirm continuous access to clean water, functional AC, and healthy meal options.”
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
