The crew of the carrier George Washington has been banned from drinking alcohol on or off base under a new set of liberty restrictions implemented in the wake of the deaths of two sailors following the ship’s arrival in Japan.
The updated rules, which apply to approximately 3,000 sailors assigned to the hulking ship, went into effect Nov. 26, a spokesperson for the carrier told Stars and Stripes. The restrictions are not intended to be permanent.
Also under the regulations, which were implemented four days after the ship pulled into Yokosuka Naval Base on Nov. 22, sailors under the age of 20 will not be allowed to take overnight liberty, Stripes reported.
Since October, restrictions put in place — beyond the temporary order — have prohibited Japan-based sailors from visiting or drinking alcohol in off-base businesses between midnight and 5 a.m.
The tightened guidelines come in the wake of two GW sailors’ deaths in separate incidents after the ship pulled into port.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Cuyler Burnett Condon and Seaman Dimitri Isacc Morales died within days of the ship’s return to U.S. 7th Fleet.
Condon was found unresponsive Nov. 22 in an on-base hotel room and was pronounced dead at the scene. Three days later, Morales was discovered unresponsive off base in Yokosuka and subsequently pronounced dead by local authorities.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is investigating the deaths alongside Japanese law enforcement, Stripes reported.
The enhanced restrictions, meanwhile, will remain in place as officials “monitor activities in town and communicate any changes to the policy,” the spokesperson told Stripes.
The GW, which includes the first F-35C Lightning II squadron to join forward-deployed naval forces in Japan, is now the Navy’s only forward-deployed carrier.
The ship replaced the carrier Ronald Reagan in Japan so the latter could undergo maintenance work in Bremerton, Washington.
Military Times reporters Diana Stancy and Riley Ceder contributed to this report.
J.D. Simkins is the executive editor of Military Times and Defense News, and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.
