More than 200 sailors moved off plane provider after multiple suicides

The sailors are transferring to a neighborhood Navy installation as the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier continues to undergo a years-long refueling and overhaul course of on the shipyard in Newport Information in Virginia. Over the past 12 months, seven members of the crew have died, including 4 by suicide, prompting the Navy to open an investigation into the command local weather and tradition on board the Nimitz-class service.

The commanding officer of the provider, Capt. Brent Gaut, made the choice to allow sailors living on board the ship to maneuver to other lodging, in response to an announcement from Naval Air Drive Atlantic. On the primary day of the transfer, which began Monday, greater than 200 sailors left the provider and moved to a nearby Navy facility.

"The move plan will proceed until all Sailors who wish to move off-ship have done so," the assertion said. Although the carrier does not have its full complement of roughly 5,000 sailors, the ship nonetheless has between 2,000 and three,000 sailors living aboard throughout the overhaul course of.

The ship's command is working to determine sailors who may "benefit from and want the support providers and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) packages" which can be out there on native Navy facilities. The Navy is in the process of setting up "short-term lodging" for these sailors, in line with an earlier statement from Naval Air Power Atlantic.

"Leadership is actively implementing these and pursuing a lot of extra morale and private well-being measures and support companies to members assigned to USS George Washington."

Outcomes from the Navy's investigation into the deaths are expected this week, Admiral John Meier, the commander of US Naval Air Pressure Atlantic, told reporters throughout a media roundtable on Tuesday.

"We've assigned an investigating officer to look into that and to essentially to look into the proximate cause. Was there an immediate trigger? Was there a linkage between these events? I expect that to report out this week, and I will not presuppose the outcome of that report," Meier mentioned.

The investigation is one in all two the US Navy is conducting. The second investigation has a "much broader scope" and focuses on "command climate, command culture," Meier stated.

To respond to the three suicides in April, the Navy added resources to the ship, including a "ship psychologist," "resiliency counselors," and "a 13-person dash crew, which is a special intervention team for cases like this," Meier said.

The dash crew was "on board for a complete week, and so they put out a report that identified some issues to add to our investigative work," Meier added.

The deaths aboard the provider prompted Rep. Elaine Luria, a 20-year Navy veteran whose district encompasses a number of navy services, to jot down a letter to the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Michael Gilday, demanding fast motion to ensure the safety of the crew.

"Each of these deaths is a tragedy, and the number of incidents within a single command, which includes as many as four sailors taking their own lives, raises important concern that requires immediate and stringent inquiry," Luria wrote last week, noting that her workplace has received complaints concerning the quality of life aboard the ship and a toxic ambiance.