The US Navy has decided to allow sailors living on the USS George Washington to move to other accommodations after a string of suicides onboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The vessel has been dry-docked in Virginia since 2017 and is undergoing an extensive overhaul and refueling process.
“The move plan will continue until all Sailors who wish to move off-ship have done so,” Naval Air Force Atlantic said in a statement.
While the vessel is not fully crewed during the overhaul process, roughly half of its full 5,000-strong compartment continues to work there. Some 420 sailors live at the dry-docked vessel. The move began on Monday, with more than 200 sailors already leaving the carrier and moving ashore to a nearby Navy facility.
The decision to allow sailors not to live aboard the vessel undergoing repairs comes after a string of deaths at the aircraft carrier. Over the past 12 month, seven crew members of the USS George Washington have died, including at least four by suicide. Three deaths came within less than a week in April, apparently triggering the relocation process.