What it's like to be on a warship like the USS Abraham Lincoln

Jonny Burnell, a former US Navy photographer, spent 111 days aboard the USS Vinson during the US war with Afghanistan in 2001. His role allowed him to interact with crew members throughout the ship, unlike most sailors who were confined to specific areas of the vessel where they worked. In an age before digital photography, Burnell captured numerous portraits of the sailors who eagerly sought his camera whenever they spotted him.

However, during his deployment aboard the USS Carl Vinson, Burnell observed a noticeable shift among the crew members. As his excitement and energy faded, he described a growing sense of sadness and desolation. Burnell recalled a moment when he witnessed a "visible kind of deadness in the shipmates' eyes," stating that the hardest part of his job was witnessing the persistent sadness that haunted the crew daily.