More Shocking Photos From USS Lincoln Reveal Single Meat Patties and Sparse Trays as Sailors Report Losing Weight Amid War in Middle East

A serving sailor on board the USS Abraham Lincoln has allegedly lost 17 pounds at sea, according to family accounts relayed to Newsweek, as a second wave of photographs depicting sparse meal trays on deployed US Navy warships surfaces despite Pentagon denials of any food shortages.

The new images were published by Newsweek on 24 April 2026, one week after USA Today broke the initial story, and show food trays carrying what appear to be a single meat patty, a small portion of shredded meat, and sparse side items. They were passed to retired US Air Force veteran and military welfare advocate Gerald D. Givens Jr. by the family of a serving officer aboard the ship.

Meal Trays and Family Testimonies From Two Warships

The first set of photographs was published by USA Today on 16 April 2026, sourced from two service members who shared images with their parents. One, a female Marine aboard the USS Tripoli, sent a photo of a lunch tray that was two-thirds empty, carrying one small scoop of shredded meat and a single folded tortilla.

The other, a male sailor aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, sent an image showing a handful of boiled carrots, what appeared to be a dry hamburger patty, and what USA Today described as 'a gray slab of processed meat.'

The sailor on the Tripoli told her father, identified only as Dan F. in USA Today's reporting, that fresh produce was no longer available and that crew members had begun rationing and splitting portions among themselves. 'We have the strongest military in the world,' he said. 'You shouldn't be running out of food. The one thing we had over our adversaries was we fed our people.'

The second round of photographs arrived via Givens, the founder and CEO of Raleigh Boots On The Ground, a North Carolina nonprofit serving military families, who received them from a friend whose son is currently deployed on the Lincoln. 'My immediate reaction was shock,' Givens told Newsweek.

'Food service and mail are essential to combat support. Both directly impact morale.' His friend reported that her son had lost 17 pounds, and that a care package dispatched in December had still not arrived by the time of publication.

A 37-Day Resupply Gap and Mail Suspension

Department of Defense records shed light on the timeline. According to DVIDS, the Pentagon's official image service, the USS Abraham Lincoln was last resupplied at sea on 18 March 2026. The photographs of sparse meals began circulating publicly around 16 April, meaning more than five weeks had elapsed since the last confirmed resupply.

The Navy can restock ships via vessel-to-vessel transfer or by helicopter, though US Central Command declined to answer questions from Stars and Stripes about whether any scheduled replenishments had been postponed or delayed.

The USS Tripoli has a separate timeline. US Central Command confirmed on social media that the vessel arrived in the Middle East on 27 March 2026. There are approximately 3,500 sailors and Marines aboard the Tripoli and its two accompanying warships. Snopes, which investigated the original photographs, noted it was unclear when the Tripoli had last been resupplied.

The absence of care packages has worsened the situation considerably for families and service members alike. The US Postal Service suspended deliveries to 27 military ZIP codes in the region, citing 'airspace closures and other logistical impacts from the ongoing conflict,' according to Army spokesperson Maj. Travis Shaw.

USPS spokesperson David Coleman confirmed that the packages are being held rather than returned: 'No military mailings are being returned to the sender. They are held until they can be delivered.'

The human cost of that suspension has been tangible. A Texas mother told USA Today her family had spent roughly £1,590 ($2,000) on care packages. None had arrived.

Pastor Karen Erskine-Valentine of a church in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, mobilised her congregation after a community member's son was deployed on the Lincoln. Within two days, her congregation packed 18 boxes. Shipping alone cost more than £428 ($540). Six reached Tokyo on 14 April. None went any further. 'The food is tasteless, and there's not nearly enough, and they're hungry all the time,' she told USA Today. 'That kind of breaks your heart.'

The Pentagon's Categorical Denial and What Former Sailors Observe

The Navy's Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, led by Admiral Daryl Caudle, has rejected the reports in unambiguous language. In a public statement, Caudle wrote: 'Recent reports alleging food shortages and poor quality aboard our deployed ships are false. Both USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Tripoli have sufficient food onboard to serve their crews with healthy options.

The health and well-being of our sailors and Marines are my top priority, and every crew member continues to receive fully portioned, nutritionally balanced meals.' The statement added that the mail hold had been lifted and that 'routine menu adjustments are simply how we optimise our endurance to keep our warships in the fight.'

Speaking directly to reporters at a maritime conference in Maryland, Caudle went further, according to Stars and Stripes. He stated that 'in no way, shape or form has there been a time where, at least in this deployment, where they've not met the nutritional requirements of our menu.'

He also alleged that the original photos published by USA Today were taken at a shoreside dining facility and were not shipboard images. The Navy released its own counter-photographs showing full trays and stacked boxes of food supplies aboard the vessels.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth backed the Navy's position in a post on social media. 'The US Navy is correct. More FAKE NEWS from the Pharisee Press,' he wrote. 'My team confirmed the logistics stats for the Lincoln and Tripoli. Both have 30+ days of Class I supplies (food) on board. NavCent monitors this every day, for every ship. Our sailors deserve, and receive, the best.'

Despite those assurances, some former sailors have found the disputed photos recognisable. Online discussions documented by Snopes include former crew members describing the images as consistent with 'midnight rations,' or midrats: the late-night meals left for personnel who missed standard dining hours.

'My ship went for about a month or two on our maiden deployment where the only thing they would leave for midrats was the leftover meat options from the day,' one former sailor wrote on Reddit. Whether those photographs show midrats or something more systemic remains contested.