CRISIS RESPONSE

260 Sailors Shifted Off USS George Washington After Spate of Suicides

The Navy is allowing the sailors to move ashore to a “offsite barracks-type living arrangement.”

Following a string of deaths and suicides aboard a naval aircraft carrier, including three suspected suicides in one week in April, the U.S. Navy is allowing hundreds of sailors to move to a local installation ashore. The USS George Washington, which has been dry-docked in Virginia since 2017, has seen seven crew members die within the last year. “The 7 deaths are for the following reasons: 2 health-related death, 1 undetermined, 1 confirmed suicide, and 3 apparent suicides that remain under investigation,” a Naval Air Force Atlantic officer told ABC News in a statement. According to Military.com, which first reported the move ashore, roughly 420 sailors currently live on board the USS George Washington, most of them junior crew members. A recording obtained by the outlet appeared to show the carrier’s commanding officer, Capt. Brent Gaut, announcing that 260 of those sailors would be moved “to an offsite barracks-type living arrangement on Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth.” A spokesperson for the Navy subsequently confirmed the plan to Military.com, saying that it would continue “until all Sailors who wish to move off-ship have done so.”

If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.