Greater than 200 sailors moved off plane provider after multiple suicides

The sailors are shifting to an area Navy installation as the nuclear-powered aircraft provider 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 four by suicide, prompting the Navy to open an investigation into the command climate and culture on board the Nimitz-class provider.

The commanding officer of the provider, Capt. Brent Gaut, made the decision to permit sailors residing on board the ship to move to other accommodations, in response to an announcement from Naval Air Force Atlantic. On the first day of the move, which started Monday, more than 200 sailors left the provider and moved to a close-by Navy facility.

"The transfer plan will proceed till all Sailors who wish to transfer off-ship have finished so," the statement stated. Though the provider doesn't have its full complement of approximately 5,000 sailors, the ship nonetheless has between 2,000 and 3,000 sailors dwelling aboard during the overhaul process.

The ship's command is working to identify sailors who may "benefit from and desire the assist companies and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) programs" which are accessible on local Navy facilities. The Navy is within the means of setting up "momentary lodging" for these sailors, in accordance with an earlier assertion from Naval Air Force Atlantic.

"Management is actively implementing these and pursuing quite a few further 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 anticipated this week, Admiral John Meier, the commander of US Naval Air Power Atlantic, told 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 trigger? Was there a linkage between those events? I expect that to report out this week, and I won't 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 reply to the three suicides in April, the Navy added sources to the ship, including a "ship psychologist," "resiliency counselors," and "a 13-person sprint team, which is a special intervention team for situations like this," Meier said.

The sprint group was "on board for a complete week, and they put out a report that recognized some issues so as 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 amenities, to write down a letter to the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Michael Gilday, demanding speedy motion to make sure the safety of the crew.

"Each of these deaths is a tragedy, and the number of incidents inside a single command, which includes as many as four sailors taking their very own lives, raises vital concern that requires fast and stringent inquiry," Luria wrote last week, noting that her office has received complaints concerning the high quality of life aboard the ship and a toxic atmosphere.