More than 200 sailors moved off plane service after a number of suicides

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

The commanding officer of the provider, Capt. Brent Gaut, made the choice to permit sailors residing on board the ship to maneuver to other lodging, in line with a press release from Naval Air Drive Atlantic. On the primary day of the move, which started Monday, more than 200 sailors left the service and moved to a nearby Navy facility.

"The move plan will continue until all Sailors who wish to transfer off-ship have achieved so," the assertion stated. Although the provider doesn't have its full complement of approximately 5,000 sailors, the ship still has between 2,000 and 3,000 sailors dwelling aboard during the overhaul course of.

The ship's command is working to determine sailors who might "benefit from and desire the help providers and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) programs" which can be out there on native Navy amenities. The Navy is within the strategy of establishing "short-term accommodations" for these sailors, according to an earlier statement from Naval Air Pressure Atlantic.

"Leadership is actively implementing these and pursuing plenty of extra morale and private well-being measures and help providers 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 Power Atlantic, advised reporters throughout a media roundtable on Tuesday.

"We've assigned an investigating officer to look into that and to really to look into the proximate cause. Was there a direct set off? Was there a linkage between these occasions? I anticipate that to report out this week, and I will not presuppose the result of that report," Meier said.

The investigation is certainly one of two the US Navy is conducting. The second investigation has a "much broader scope" and focuses on "command local weather, command culture," Meier said.

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

The dash crew was "on board for an entire week, they usually put out a report that identified some things 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 multiple army facilities, to write a letter to the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Michael Gilday, demanding instant action to ensure the security of the crew.

"Each of these deaths is a tragedy, and the variety of incidents inside a single command, which includes as many as 4 sailors taking their own lives, raises vital concern that requires instant and stringent inquiry," Luria wrote final week, noting that her office has obtained complaints concerning the quality of life aboard the ship and a toxic environment.