Washington, Aug. 14 (SANA) U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) denied reports that seven sailors had died in a fight aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln during its deployment in the Middle East, saying no service members had died aboard the vessel.
In a statement posted on X Friday, CENTCOM said several media outlets had published what it described as “baseless claims” over the past 48 hours about the carrier’s deployment, including reports of seven deaths and increased suicidal thoughts among crew members.
The command said the USS Abraham Lincoln had an 84.4% reenlistment rate, one of the highest among U.S. Navy aircraft carriers.
The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group has spent more than 260 days at sea, conducting about 10,000 sorties and employing around 1.5 million pounds of munitions, CENTCOM said.
“There have been no service member deaths aboard the carrier,” the command said, adding that a sailor who fell overboard on Aug. 3 was “quickly and safely” rescued.
CENTCOM criticized what it called widespread misleading reporting about the carrier’s mission, saying it was a disservice to U.S. military personnel and their families.
In March, the command also denied reports that the USS Abraham Lincoln had been struck by Iranian ballistic missiles in the Arabian Sea.
The carrier left San Diego, California, on Nov. 21, 2025, for a deployment to the South China Sea before being redirected to the Middle East ahead of the U.S.-Israeli-Iranian war that began on Feb. 28.
T.S /ABD
