U.S. Central Command is trying to steady the ship after a wave of bad press over conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln ... praising the crew and pointing to comparatively low numbers of mental health cases.

CENTCOM Admiral Brad Cooper says his recent visit aboard the carrier was "awe-inspiring" ... adding Americans would be proud to see the crew's camaraderie, teamwork and resilience firsthand.

Cooper says that among the Navy's 11 active aircraft carriers, the Lincoln currently has one of the lowest numbers of mental health-related cases.

He concedes that doesn’t mean everything aboard the ship is perfect ... acknowledging long stretches at sea are uniquely challenging and sailors respond to stress differently. Cooper also applauded the Lincoln's leadership for making mental health and crew resilience a priority.

As TMZ previously reported ... families of sailors aboard the Lincoln have raised concerns about conditions during its marathon deployment ... with messages describing broken toilets, undercooked food, and sailors reaching their breaking point.

The carrier has been deployed for more than 250 days, including more than 200 consecutive days without a port call after being redirected to the Middle East amid the war with Iran.

President Trump dismissed the concerns Friday ... saying the deployment was "not nearly long enough," while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said conditions have been “completely misrepresented.”

Cooper's statement addresses the concerns about mental health ... but doesn’t specifically address the complaints about toilets, food, shortages, or mail hang-ups.