Original story appeared here.
The crew of the USS Nimitz has officially been told by their leadership that the water on the ship is safe to drink and shower with, yet sailors forced to work and live on the ship claim the smell of jet propellant is extremely strong when using any of the water supplied by the vessel.
Various messages from member’s of the crew:
Today [message from SEP19] around noon the XO announced on the 1MC that the ship was now hooked into the city’s water source and we were able to shower and use water normally. Most of the water sources on the ship still reek of JP5, let alone have the strong taste. Most of our showers haven’t gotten rid of the smell.
Sailor aboard the USS Nimitz
They just “fixed” the water (4 days later) and it still smells of jet fuel and they’re telling people not to drink it. They’ve been encouraging people to eat off ship while serving whatever they can that doesn’t require water to make.
Sailor aboard the USS Nimitz
They’re saying it’s safe now but you can smell it coming out of the faucets
Sailor aboard the USS Nimitz
Water buffaloes have been staged next to the ship to provide sailors with fresh water to fill their containers, but the picture being painted by the many sailors who have messaged is chaotic.
We originally reported that the crew was informed by leadership that JP5 had mixed in with the fresh water supply at 11:00pm, about 6 hours after discovering it, but numerous sources have contested that and told us they weren’t informed until the next morning.
The same day the Commanding Officer (CO) notified the crew there was fuel in their water, he advised them to let the faucets and showers run. Sailors reported feeling sick, nauseous, lightheaded and extremely weak after showering and conducting personal hygiene. Members of the crew departed the ship for liberty around 11:00am that morning, to include the CO, while the duty personnel were left on the ship without water.
The vending machines on the ship and pier quickly sold out and the duty personnel had to rely on their friends to make water deliveries to the ship with the NEX (Naval Exchange) being approximately a mile away.
Now the crew is making preparations to get underway without a clean source of water. While the ship’s command team has told the crew the water is safe, many sailors on the ship have stated those claims are false.
The Navy is still reeling from their cover-up of the jet fuel that spilled into the water supply in Hawaii. The Naval Commander in charge, Capt. Erik Spitzer, claimed the water was safe to drink knowing full well it wasn’t, and the affected families are still dealing with health issues from drinking the water to this day.
Every amphib ship I was on….. same thing water always smelled and tasted like fuel.