United States Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao told reporters Wednesday that eight sailors attempted suicide during their months-long deployment aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East. 

The revelation comes after the military downplayed the situation on the naval ship, despite reports surfacing that sailors aboard the carrier attempted to jump overboard. One sailor did allegedly jump but was rescued.

The Lincoln, which is currently en route to its home port of San Diego, has been deployed for more than 300 days and will likely remain at sea for two more weeks before returning to the United States. 

Cao reported the number of attempted suicides in a letter to New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and said no crew member has died from suicide.

"Our troops and their families make immense sacrifices every single day, yet the president dismissed them with open disrespect," Gillibrand told USA Today in response to the letter. "That this administration can find endless taxpayer dollars for bombs, ballrooms, and billionaires, but cannot take care of our service members, is completely unacceptable."

Cao also confirmed that the situation aboard the ship included piping failures and temporary issues with its reverse osmosis desalination units, which were due to "high-ambient seawater temperatures and continuous operations."

The acting secretary additionally confirmed that it was hard to restock the ship because of its continued operations, meaning they had to make some reductions in food for the sailors.

“The number of main entrée options served during regular meal hours was reduced from two to one for a short time,” the letter stated. "This measure was implemented to optimize endurance and ensure sustained time on station. Four meals were served daily, and all meals provided were nutritionally balanced, with adequate calories per day made available to every Sailor."

The Lincoln, carrying around 5,000 sailors and Marines, was deployed in the Pacific and South China Sea last November but has been supporting U.S. military operations more recently in the Middle East. The crew's deployment was extended in May with no end date announced, but they have since begun their journey home.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.