- The claim that sailors and Marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier are facing deteriorating conditions after nearly 260 days at sea is still under investigation. It stemmed from an MS NOW report published on Aug. 5, 2026.
- MS NOW says the sailors are running out of food and other essential supplies, such as soap and toothpaste. The article also says there are safety concerns and the crew’s morale is low. The news media outlet quoted Cmdr. Joseph Hontz, the spokesperson for the Navy’s 5th Fleet, as saying the crew is “resilient.”
- In April 2026, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth deemed previous reports of food shortages on the USS Abraham Lincoln to be “fake news” in an X post.
- Snopes will update this report if additional information surfaces. We have reached out to the U.S. Navy, the 5th Fleet and the Department of the Defense and are waiting for responses. We also contacted the office of Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, who amplified the claim.
A rumor spread online in August 2026 that sailors and Marines on the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, deployed in the Arabian Sea as of this writing, are facing food and supply shortages, mold and other deteriorating conditions.
The claim spread on X and Facebook as the U.S. war against Iran entered its sixth month. Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, amplified the alleged story in an X post, saying (archived), in part, “We cannot claim to support the troops while leaving them hungry. Our service members deserve better.”
Booker’s post includes a video by @pullupspastapolitics, a woman who refers to herself as an “independent reporter” and makes content on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
In the clip, the woman quoted from an MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) report published on Aug. 5 (archived). She said families of those on the ship “are upset and they’re blaming” U.S. President Donald Trump.
MS NOW’s report says that sailors and Marines are lacking basic necessities and families are speaking out:
Moldy showers. Food shortages. Sailors running out of toothpaste, deodorant and soap.
Families of the sailors and Marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln are sounding the alarm that their loved ones are so exhausted they fear it could lead to deadly mistakes, as the carrier enters its ninth month at sea and its fifth consecutive month of combat operations against Iran.
The report then says the families are concerned that the low morale and safety conditions are making the deployment very risky as the Trump administration continues its military campaign against Iran. The article also quotes Cmdr. Joseph Hontz, the spokesperson for the Navy’s 5th Fleet, as saying the crew is “resilient.”
It was not possible to directly obtain confirmation of the reportedly dire conditions on the ship. For this reason, we left this claim unrated.
Snopes contacted the U.S. Navy, the 5th Fleet and the Department of Defense seeking details. We also reached out to Booker’s office, asking if he had received direct reports from crew members or their families. We will update this report should any of them respond.
It is true that the USS Abraham Lincoln has been at sea for 259 days as of this writing, according to Cruising Earth, a website that tracks ships. It reportedly left its homeport of San Diego on Nov. 21, 2025, for routine operations and was then deployed to the Arabian Sea after the war on Iran began.
This is not the first time families have reported food shortages on the same ship since its deployment. In April 2026, some news outlets reported concerns that the roughly 5,000-member crew was surviving on little food. At the time, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth took to X (archived) to dismiss this as “FAKE NEWS.”
For further reading, Snopes previously investigated photographs that accompanied these reports in April 2026.
