'Hoping to die': USS Abraham Lincoln families reveal chilling sailors' ordeal

WASHINGTON, DC: For sailor Randall Stone, the hardest part of the USS Abraham Lincoln's extraordinary deployment is no longer simply the time spent at sea.

It is the feeling that there is no end in sight.

“Morale is low,” Stone said, describing seven months without stepping onto land.

His account comes as another US aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, reportedly heads toward the Middle East in a move expected to relieve the Lincoln after months of sustained operations.

Sailors and families break silence on ordeal

Speaking to The National Desk in a report published on Friday, August 14, Stone gave an account of life aboard the carrier, saying he has not stepped off the ship in roughly seven months.

“I have not stepped off the ship for seven months now. We have not hit the port for seven months now. We have not touched land,” he said.

For sailors accustomed to long stretches at sea, the difference is not simply the number of days on a calendar.

A port visit can mean fresh surroundings, a break from the ship, and a chance to reconnect with something resembling ordinary life.

Going without one for months at a time can make the deployment feel increasingly closed in.

The Lincoln has been deployed since November and has now spent more than 250 days at sea, supporting US military operations in the Middle East. Its deployment has stretched far beyond what sailors and families had originally expected.

The strain has also been felt far beyond the ship.

Families of Lincoln sailors have previously described long periods without clear information about when their loved ones would return.

Some have spoken about deteriorating morale, exhaustion, and concerns over the mental well-being of sailors facing an unusually long deployment.

At a San Diego meeting with senior Navy officials, one spouse broke down into tears and told officials that her husband had sent her a message saying, “he hopes he doesn’t wake up tomorrow.”

Other relatives have described sailors struggling with the relentless pace of operations and the uncertainty surrounding their return.

One sailor previously told military media that there was “nothing to really look forward to” and that the crew simply wanted a date to come home.

Relief for sailors reportedly on the way

There is, however, movement toward a change in the situation.

The USS George Washington, the Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier, is heading toward the Middle East and is expected to replace the Abraham Lincoln. 

A Navy official confirmed the deployment, while reports said the carrier was moving through the Strait of Malacca on its way toward the Indian Ocean and eventually the region.

The rotation is significant for the Lincoln crew because it could finally bring an end to one of the longest continuous stretches at sea in recent US carrier operations.

Navy slams 'false reports'

The sailors’ accounts have emerged alongside strong pushback from US military officials over some of the reporting surrounding the Lincoln.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, on Thursday, August 13, said reports about conditions aboard the carrier had been “completely misrepresented,” while US Central Command said claims that sailors had died in a fight aboard the ship were false.

CENTCOM also said no service members aboard the carrier had died and described the crew as resilient after more than 260 days at sea.

The command said the Lincoln had conducted thousands of aircraft flights and expended large quantities of ordnance during its deployment.