The aircraft carrier USS George Washington.Photo: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty
The U.S. Navy is allowing hundreds of sailors to leave the USS George Washington this week following a string of deaths aboard the docked aircraft carrier.
Starting this week, the Navy is allowing sailors living aboard the USS George Washington to leave the ship, the outlet said. More than 200 sailors are said to have moved from the ship as of Monday.
“The move plan will continue until all Sailors who wish to move off-ship have done so,” the Naval Air Force Atlantic, which did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, told CNN.
Any sailors who opt to relocate will be moved to an “offsite barracks-type living arrangement on Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth,” the ship’s commanding officer, Capt. Brent Gaut, recently explained to the ship’s crew, according toMilitary.com.
The facility at the Virginia shipyard will initially hold 260 sailors but will be expanded in the coming weeks.
PEOPLE has contacted the Navy for comment.
According toABC News, the USS George Washington, which is nuclear-powered, has been undergoing a lengthy refueling and overhaul process in Virginia since 2017.
The father of Xavier Sandor, one of the crew members who died, toldNBC Newsthat his son experienced hardship living aboard the ship. Once he finished his 12-hour shifts, Xavier told his father he would sleep in his car with a thick blanket instead of remaining on the carrier.
“He always said it sucked, and I’d always say to ask for help,” dad John Sandor recalled. “He’d say, ‘Dad, they don’t give a f—. They don’t care.’ That was always his response to me.”
Naval Air Force Atlantic Commander Rear Adm. John Meier recently expressed his sorrow following the deaths of the sailors.
“The tragic events that have transpired involving Sailors assigned to the USS George Washington is a sad reminder of the heartbreak and sorrow that follow the loss of a friend, family member, or shipmate,” he told ABC News.
“While the Navy is a resilient force, we are not immune from the same challenges that affect the nation that we serve,” Meier continued.
Of the 2,700 crew members belonging to the USS George Washington, only about 400 lived aboard the ship as of last week, ABC News said.
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source: people.com
