USS Abraham Lincoln captain admits sailors tried to take their own lives during deployment

Capt. Dan Keeler, commanding officer of the USS Abraham Lincoln, addressed reports of mental health challenges among the crew following the aircraft carrier’s return to its home port on Thursday after a grueling deployment that included a record stretch of more than 260 consecutive days at sea during the war against Iran.

In a brief news conference after the ship docked at Naval Air Station North Island, Keeler was asked directly whether sailors had tried to commit suicide or jump overboard.

“The key number that I like to focus on is zero; there were no suicides on board. There were no lost lives on board,” he replied.

Keeler referenced the eight suicide attempts disclosed last month by Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao.

Those occurred across the entire Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, which includes the carrier, its air wing, escorting destroyers, and associated staff—thousands more personnel than the roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard the Lincoln itself. “I think that key point has been lost,” Keeler said.

“We want the suicide attempt number to be zero. Having done this many, many times with the demographics that I have on board and the stressful mission that we conduct, that’s unrealistic,” he continued.

Keeler noted that for most of his sailors, the deployment marked their first time away from home, first deployment, and first experience with combat.

He said the ship carried five chaplains and a well-staffed mental health team that provided care as needed.

Cao’s September letter to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand confirmed no suicides during the deployment that began in November 2025, but documented eight attempts.

Details included one sailor from the air wing who went overboard in early August and was quickly recovered by helicopter, treated, and transferred off the ship, and another who attempted to go overboard in March but was stopped by shipmates.

The Lincoln’s roughly 10-month deployment, which featured combat operations, multiple extensions, and a record period without a port call before a brief stop in Thailand, drew intense scrutiny over reported supply disruptions, living conditions, and crew strain.

Family members had raised concerns earlier, and Democratic lawmakers sought more information from the Navy.

Keeler and other officials emphasized the crew’s resilience and operational success, including zero combat damage, zero aircraft lost, and every sailor and Marine returning home.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the ship the day before its arrival to present the Presidential Unit Citation.

As families reunited with loved ones—some meeting infants for the first time—the commanding officer’s remarks underscored both the human costs of the extended mission and the absence of fatalities.