US aircraft carrier on way to relieve USS Lincoln after issues reported on board

A US aircraft carrier is headed to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, on which thousands of sailors have reportedly faced food shortages and difficult conditions on an extended, nine-month deployment.

The USS George Washington, which was near Malaysia on Thursday, could arrive in the region in about nine days, BBC analysis shows.

Family members of sailors onboard the Lincoln have expressed concern about their mental health deteriorating due to the conditions, with some sailors having reportedly attempted to jump overboard.

While the US Navy has acknowledged supply challenges, it has denied that a mental health crisis is taking place on the Lincoln, which has 5,000 onboard.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, President Donald Trump denied that family members were concerned about the welfare of their relatives and dismissed the possibility that the deployment had been too long.

Trump also confirmed that another ship will replace the Lincoln, although he did not identify it by name.

Citing a US official, CBS News - the BBC's US partner - reported that the George Washington left a naval facility in Yokosuka, Japan in May to patrol the Pacific region and is now headed to replace the Lincoln.

Tracking data compiled by BBC Verify shows that at its last recorded speed, the vessel would reach Duqm port in Oman, about 500 miles off the coast of Iran, around 22 August.