More than 200 sailors moved off aircraft carrier after a number of suicides

The sailors are shifting to a local Navy installation as the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier continues to undergo a years-long refueling and overhaul course of at the shipyard in Newport News in Virginia. Over the past 12 months, seven members of the crew have died, together with four by suicide, prompting the Navy to open an investigation into the command climate and culture on board the Nimitz-class carrier.

The commanding officer of the provider, Capt. Brent Gaut, made the decision to allow sailors living on board the ship to maneuver to different lodging, in accordance with a statement from Naval Air Force Atlantic. On the first day of the transfer, which began Monday, more than 200 sailors left the carrier and moved to a nearby Navy facility.

"The move plan will continue until all Sailors who want to transfer off-ship have performed so," the statement stated. Though the provider does not have its full complement of roughly 5,000 sailors, the ship still has between 2,000 and three,000 sailors dwelling aboard throughout the overhaul course of.

The ship's command is working to determine sailors who might "benefit from and need the support services and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) packages" which might be accessible on local Navy facilities. The Navy is in the means of setting up "short-term lodging" for these sailors, in line with an earlier assertion from Naval Air Force Atlantic.

"Management is actively implementing these and pursuing plenty of further morale and personal well-being measures and assist providers to members assigned to USS George Washington."

Results from the Navy's investigation into the deaths are anticipated this week, Admiral John Meier, the commander of US Naval Air Force Atlantic, instructed 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 trigger. Was there a direct 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 "a lot broader scope" and focuses on "command climate, command culture," Meier mentioned.

To reply to the three suicides in April, the Navy added assets to the ship, including a "ship psychologist," "resiliency counselors," and "a 13-person sprint workforce, which is a special intervention group for situations like this," Meier mentioned.

The sprint crew was "on board for a whole week, they usually put out a report that recognized some issues to add to our investigative work," Meier added.

The deaths aboard the carrier prompted Rep. Elaine Luria, a 20-year Navy veteran whose district encompasses multiple army amenities, to put in writing a letter to the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Michael Gilday, demanding rapid action to make sure the security of the crew.

"Each of those deaths is a tragedy, and the variety of incidents inside a single command, which includes as many as four sailors taking their own lives, raises significant concern that requires quick and stringent inquiry," Luria wrote last week, noting that her office has acquired complaints concerning the high quality of life aboard the ship and a toxic environment.