Sailors on USS Abraham Lincoln complain of food shortages and overflowing toilets

The crew of the American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has been unable to make a single port call for more than six months due to ongoing combat operations, and is now facing shortages of food and hygiene supplies, as well as breakdowns in the ship's plumbing system. Sailors and their relatives shared these details with an American television network.

"Every day we wake up, listen to our captain's briefing, and wait with a sinking heart for any news about when we'll be heading home," one crew member said. According to him, sailors used to be able to freely buy whatever they needed from the ship's store, with toiletries always in stock. Now purchases are rationed, and hygiene products are "almost impossible to find."

Overflowing toilets and lost packages

A relative of one sailor, who asked to remain anonymous, shared photos of toilets overflowing with sewage aboard the ship. Families also report that packages sent to sailors often take months to arrive — and frequently get lost along the way.

"I understand they're in a combat zone, but if they're not allowed to make any port calls, the Navy could at least make sure packages get delivered on time," said Ashley T., mother of one of the sailors on board. The wife of another crew member said her husband called this "the worst deployment of his entire career": "He's doing everything he can and works incredibly hard for the American military, but he says he can feel himself changing — becoming angrier and more irritable, which just isn't like him at all," she added.

Mental health struggles and a record-breaking deployment

American media have previously reported on declining morale among the crew, including several apparent suicide attempts — with a number of sailors reportedly trying to jump overboard. The carrier has been at sea since November of last year, when it departed San Diego. Most of the crew boarded the ship on Guam on December 11, and it hasn't made port in more than six months since.

According to the network's reporting, the USS Abraham Lincoln could set a new record for the longest time an American aircraft carrier has spent away from its home port since the Vietnam War. The current record — 326 days — belongs to another carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, which took part in operations against Iran and Venezuela.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz