Washington
Three USS George Washington sailors have died in the past nine days
Authorities are investigating the deaths of three sailors previously 9 days who have been all assigned to the plane provider George Washington.
Naval Air Power Atlantic officers didn’t disclose the names of the deceased shipmates Monday, nor did they clarify the causes or circumstances surrounding every demise.
After offering a short assertion in response to Navy Occasions questions late Monday, officers didn’t reply to follow-up queries, however indicated that extra data on the deaths will probably be coming.
Most not too long ago, on Friday, a George Washington sailor “was discovered unresponsive on board the ship,” in accordance with Naval Air Power Atlantic spokesman Michael Maus.
“The Sailor was handled by the medical group on board earlier than being transported to Riverside Regional Medical Heart in Newport Information the place the service member handed away,” Maus mentioned in an electronic mail. “The incident is underneath investigation and the command continues to cooperate with (the Naval Prison Investigative Service).”
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Two different George Washington sailors have been discovered useless on April 9 and April 10, Maus mentioned, though he didn’t make clear the place these sailors have been discovered.
“The Navy is cooperating with native authorities the place each incidents have occurred, as each incidents stay underneath investigation,” Maus mentioned. “Our ideas and condolences are with the household, associates and shipmates of our Sailors.”
The deaths of those three sailors come because the provider continues a prolonged and prolonged refueling and sophisticated overhaul at Newport Information Shipbuilding that started in 2017 and was presupposed to be wrapped up final yr.
Such overhauls are carried out midway by means of a provider’s 50-year service life to refuel the nuclear energy reactor and conduct important repairs and upgrades over 4 years of labor.
New work emerged in the course of the repairs and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated labor shortages, officers informed Protection Information final month.
That implies that if George Washington comes out of the yard in December, as Navy officers predict, its overhaul could have taken greater than 5 years.
Geoff is a senior employees reporter for Navy Occasions, specializing in the Navy. He coated Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was most not too long ago a reporter on the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and every kind of suggestions at geoffz@militarytimes.com.