Yet another Navy aircraft carrier has a water contamination problem

[Boats]

Yet another Navy aircraft carrier has a water contamination problem
By: Haley Britzky - Task & Purpose News 10-15-22
Re: https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy...nation-e-coli/

Note: This time, its E. coli.

Photo link: Re: https://taskandpurpose.com/uploads/2...440&height=810
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) sails by the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Javier Reyes).

In yet another water contamination incident for the Navy, the water aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln was found to be contaminated with E. coli three weeks ago, although the Navy did not disclose the contamination until this week.

Sailors aboard the Lincoln “identified an odor and cloudy appearance in the ship’s potable water” on Sept. 21, the Navy said in a press release on Thursday. The next day, the odor and cloudiness “abated,” the release said, but testing on Sept. 22 “indicated that E. coli bacteria was present in three of 26 potable water tanks.”

The Navy said in the release that free bottled water was made available to the crew and the contaminated tanks were isolated and secured.

“Abraham Lincoln returned to its homeport at Naval Air Station North Island Oct. 3; since that time the ship has been connected to the San Diego water supply,” the Navy’s release said. “The crew has safe water to drink and the health and wellbeing of the Abraham Lincoln crew remains a top priority.”

Videos posted online by sailors aboard the Lincoln and reported by Military.com appear to feature the ship’s commanding officer, Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt, reassure the crew by telling them it wasn’t jet fuel — as was found in the drinking water aboard the USS Nimitz in recent weeks —and that E. coli “is an extremely common bacteria.”

“Matter of fact, every single person on this ship has it in their digestive system right now,” Bauernschmidt can be heard saying in one video, according to MIlitary.com, as sailors are heard in the background yelling that “that’s not how that works!”

In another video, Bauernschmidt is heard telling sailors that the ship has “found the problem,” though she reaffirms that E. coli “can be good or bad,” Military.com reported.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says while most strains of E. coli “are an important part of a healthy human intestinal tract,” other strains “can cause illness.”

“Some infections are very mild, but others are severe or even life-threatening,” the CDC’s website says. The Navy previously confirmed the E. coli contamination to 10News, an ABC affiliate station in San Diego, after a sailor told the news station said she “got sick” and vomited “for several days” after drinking the water.

The water contamination issue aboard the Nimitz is just the latest in a series of related problems the Navy has had over the last year.

In November last year, a massive fuel spill in the Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on Oahu contaminated military families’ water in their homes, forcing many to find temporary lodging elsewhere. A Navy investigation of the incident found that an original leak in May resulted in the leak in November that went into the drinking water on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Officials originally said their testing did not reveal “a source of the smell or the odor” that families reported, but a shocking video later reported by the Civil Beat showed the thousands of gallons of fuel bursting from a cracked PVC pipe in the storage facility.

More recently, the Navy acknowledged a jet fuel leak aboard the USS Nimitz. And while officials first said that the water had been deemed safe to drink, they later reversed course and said additional testing on the day they said it was safe showed that the water was not. Sailors have since reported health concerns that “may have been related” to the jet fuel leak, Navy officials said last month.

The Navy said in its Thursday release that the cloudy appearance and odor of the water aboard the Nimitz “was not related” to the E. coli found in the water. It’s unclear what it may be related to, though Military.com reported that Bauernschmidt told sailors she did not believe it was jet fuel as was found on the Nimitz.

The Navy release says additional testing of the water found that it was “within drinking water standards for pH, turbidity, aluminum, copper, lead, sodium, and hardness.”

According to Military.com, Bauernschmidt is heard saying in one of the videos that the results of the testing “were all negative,” before clarifying that two of them were inconclusive, “which meant … they couldn’t 100% tell for 100% certainty that there wasn’t something in there but definitely negative for JP5.”
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Personal note: I'm not surprised. I was a sailor for 12 years and on many ships
during Nam. Water pollution in or on many ships even back during my days we
had fresh water contaminated and at times and then drank bottled water. These
metal vessels are subject to tremendous variables of jet fuels, JP & AvGas along
with black oil for the boilers (and at times we would even burn jet fuels) There's
a whole lot of piping that runs Fore & Aft & port & starboard as well. And from
the below decks to the counting tower or mast their is piping. In port ships were
sandblasted - coated with red-led paints and asbestos gaskets and steel with
linoleum decks as well - plus all steel grated materials on the catwalks.
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We had several times where the water tasted funny and some shower's were
no exception that happened periodically as well. To this day I feel I still suffer
from those contaminants in my body. They never addressed these issues
other than to doctore them up. The remedies varied as we continued on
course.
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Even during our periodic dry docking day - and ships overhauls - remember
the ship is iron or steel - and has plating & buckheads as well. The below
decks were constantly attempting to fix the leaks or breakage of many pipes
running throughout the ship.
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Years of this had to have some impact on our overall health in our later years
but - When asked - they had no answers. I feel today that some of my issues
are related to those contaminants - but unless it shows up in a urine test or a
blood test - they say you're fine. But I feel we were exposed to many and
even during flight opts - with the aircraft taking off & landing. The landing
made a lot of noise as the brake on the catch cables and the thumping of
aircrafts landing gear. Under the flight deck the asbestos would fall from the
overhead sound dampening. It would dampen a bit - but - you'd would wake
up in the morning covered with white asbestos dust that came off our overhead
ceilings- today this dust would happen during operations which ran even at night.
You could also hear the catch cables scream out from the launches being pulled
back after each tailhook catch.
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We had funny tasting water and our shower's with smelled of JP in them off
and on - I'm sure some of the water coolers were tainted with these fuels
for us to drink and (even during our or showers) the jet fuels could be smelled
it was not on purpose - but until you could find the reason you would have to
believe what they would tell you.
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During ops we would fueling the aircrafts and repairing them in the hangar bay
leakage was there at times - as well and at times would go down in the deck drains
and from there God only knows thereafter.
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But so far they don't cover us on those elements of exposure to certain organs in
our bodies that may have induced some later side-effects to our systems! They
say if it doesn't show up in your urine or blood test your just fine! Yea right!
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I'm sure that will be next if they decide to post it. It could take days or years
before the side effects of these products to effect your internal organs.
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But they will say its not the Navy's fault - we all know that - but at least be
concerned about our futures and the possibilities of these chemicals - and
what they are doing to our bodies today. I brought this up the VA doctor
and they had no information or testing procedures on those issues.
[Or maybe it's hush- hush] and not to be brought up. I'm not sure if a local
hospital could test for it? Is their any data on aviation fuels having
contaminates in them? Somebody has to know. And what side effects
could they affect?
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