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

The sailors are transferring to a local Navy set up as the nuclear-powered aircraft service continues to undergo a years-long refueling and overhaul process on the shipyard in Newport News in Virginia. Over the past 12 months, seven members of the crew have died, together with 4 by suicide, prompting the Navy to open an investigation into the command climate and tradition on board the Nimitz-class service.

The commanding officer of the service, Capt. Brent Gaut, made the decision to allow sailors dwelling on board the ship to maneuver to different accommodations, according to an announcement from Naval Air Pressure Atlantic. On the first day of the move, which started Monday, more than 200 sailors left the service and moved to a nearby Navy facility.

"The transfer plan will continue till all Sailors who want to transfer off-ship have accomplished so," the statement said. Although the carrier does not have its full complement of approximately 5,000 sailors, the ship still has between 2,000 and three,000 sailors living aboard in the course of the overhaul course of.

The ship's command is working to establish sailors who might "benefit from and need the help companies and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) packages" which are out there on local Navy amenities. The Navy is in the means of establishing "non permanent lodging" for these sailors, in accordance with an earlier statement from Naval Air Pressure Atlantic.

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

Results 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 during 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 right away set off? Was there a linkage between those occasions? I count on that to report out this week, and I will not presuppose the result of that report," Meier stated.

The investigation is one among two the US Navy is conducting. The second investigation has a "a lot broader scope" and focuses on "command climate, command culture," Meier said.

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 staff, which is a special intervention group for instances like this," Meier said.

The dash team was "on board for an entire week, they usually put out a report that recognized some issues to add to our investigative work," Meier added.

The deaths aboard the service prompted Rep. Elaine Luria, a 20-year Navy veteran whose district encompasses a number of military facilities, to jot down a letter to the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Michael Gilday, demanding quick motion to ensure the protection of the crew.

"Each of these deaths is a tragedy, and the variety of incidents within a single command, which incorporates as many as 4 sailors taking their own lives, raises vital concern that requires immediate and stringent inquiry," Luria wrote final week, noting that her workplace has obtained complaints about the quality of life aboard the ship and a poisonous ambiance.