It was almost exactly a month after anti-government protests swept through Iran that Donald Trump sent an armada of warships to the region with a promise that help was “on its way”.The jewel in the crown was the USS Abraham Lincoln, a multi-billion dollar aircraft carrier with enough space to move a force of 90 fighter planes and helicopters into Iran’s backyard.As of Friday, it has been 200 days since the Lincoln arrived in the region, and 250 since its initial deployment - setting a record for consecutive days at sea.In that time, the US and Iran have cycled between attacks and brief lulls in fighting, but appear no closer to resolving the underlying dispute.The USS Abraham Lincoln in San Diego, 2021 (2022 The San Diego Union-Tribune)Sailors say life on the Lincoln, still stuck in the Middle East, has grown unbearable after more than eight months at sea. US lawmakers have raised concerns about a lack of food, water contamination and the deteriorating mental health of staff on board.Those personnel are at last expected to see some relief as another carrier, the USS George Washington, prepares to deploy in its place as part of a scheduled rotation.But the growing list of complaints raises serious questions about the impact of a protracted conflict in the Middle East. Here’s what we know:Concerns for sailors on board US carrier after 200 daysDemocratic senator Richard Blumenthal brought concerns about conditions on board the Lincoln to the fore on Wednesday in a letter to the defence secretary and the acting head of the navy.In his letter, Blumenthal cited “widespread reports” of “shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns, and disruptions in the mail system, which have caused many care packages in route to the ship to be lost in transit for months”.This, he noted, came a record-setting 200 days since the Lincoln last made a port call. Carrier crews typically visit ports every month or two. Typically naval deployments are for between six and nine months, but during times of conflict, that can be extended.Democratic senator Ruben Gallego urged the military to allow a congressional delegation to visit the ship and “conduct oversight investigation into this horrible situation”.The quality of life on board the ship has come into focus since the wives of serving sailors raised concerns about alleged attempts to jump overboard.Annabelle Loma said her husband tried to jump from the ship and was now on medical hold.“Just because he was burnt out, his 13-year career is ruined, just like that,” she said.Maria Rodriguez, another sailor’s wife, says that her husband prevented another man from jumping overboard. Then, relatives came forward with texts from sailors describing a lack of basic foods due to supply issues.The relative of one sailor told BBC News that their family member had lost 29kg since the start of their deployment.Another sailor said in texts shared with MeidasTouch that they were without “fruits and stuff” as they would go rotten by the time the supply ship arrived. The only ostensibly ‘fresh’ food available was the meat - which was, in fact, frozen, and still at times arrived rotten.The sailor shared a photograph of a plastic tub filled with dry cereal, adding: “Haven’t had milk in three months.”Other sailors reported not being able to do their laundry for more than a week.A US sailor conducts maintenance on an MH-60S Sea Hawk in the hangar bay of USS Abraham Lincoln on August 9 (US Navy)A sailor wrote home to say a fellow shipmate had suggested the deployment could be “an experiment the government is doing to see how far they can push sailors limits of being out to sea with the worst experience”.“Even people that have been deployed a hundred times claim this one to be the worst and believe it can get worse than this. The navy does not care. The mission will always come first,” they said.How has the US responded?The US military is understood to be preparing to replace the Lincoln with the USS George Washington as part of a scheduled Middle East deployed, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing US officials.Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth played down concerns during a trip to Panama on Thursday, saying they were “completely misrepresented”.”We make sure every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment. Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody,” he said.Two F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in March (Getty)“What they do in those high seas in those austere conditions with less port calls - it's incredible.”The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.US Central Command also denied a report made in Iranian media that seven sailors died in a brawl aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.“USS Abraham Lincoln has maintained among the highest crew reenlistment rates (84.4%) of all aircraft carriers in the U.S. Navy”, Centcom wrote on social media on Thrusday.“No service members aboard the aircraft carrier have died, and the one Sailor who fell overboard Aug. 3 was quickly and safely recovered.“The rampant misreporting on Abraham Lincoln's historic deployment is a disservice to our men and women in uniform and their loved ones”.White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said Trump and Hegseth were committed to ensuring the U.S. military was “equipped with the resources necessary to counter any threat to the United States”.Sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have tried to throw themselves overboard amid an extended deployment in the Middle East, per reports (Getty)The US military previously pulled another aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, out of action in March, after participating in strikes on Iran, for repairs - but that too came after a nine month deployment.The Ford was taken to Crete following a string of reports about conditions on board, including a fire that was claimed to have injured sailors and destroyed 100 beds.An official told Reuters at the time that nearly 200 sailors were treated for smoke-related injuries when the fire broke out in the main laundry area.The carrier was also said to have suffered plumbing issues with its toilets, resulting in clogged systems and long queues for the loo, according to US media.