US Navy Submarine Handled for Bedbug Infestation 

USS Connecticut returns to base in 2018 after five weeks in the Arctic .– Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Amanda Gray (US Navy)

From the Maritime Executive 03/15/2021 6:15:12 AM

A US Navy submarine battles an enemy the size of a seed. Sailors on the Seawolf-class rapid attack submarine USS Connecticut have reportedly been complaining of rashes, irritations and bite marks for nearly a year. However, it was not until recently that the U.S. Navy confirmed that the ship was suffering from a disease infesting bedbugs.

The Navy said it received reports that there may have been bed bugs aboard the elite submarine while it was at its Bremerton base in Washington state in December 2020. Navy entomologists sent to the ship carried out an inspection but were unable to confirm the presence of the insidious inspection at the time, which was likely first in the clothing or other fabric worn by one of the sailors aboard the ship came. The size of a seed, the insects infest with litter and other materials that hide during the day and come out at night, mostly biting people while they sleep.

A Pacific Fleet spokesman told CNN, “You have to find a bug so you can actually do something to treat it because you know there are all kinds of things that can make your skin itchy. You have to acknowledge that this is really the case. ” Problem before they start tackling it. “

The official reports to the Navy in December resulted in a nearly two-month search of the ship to determine the specific cause. It was not until mid-February that the Navy finally found the insects on board the submarine. A remediation program began in which the areas were dusted with chemicals that haunt the insects into their nests.

However, the Navy Times, which first reported the infestation, reported that complaints went back to March 2020 while the submarine was deployed. They reported that seafarers reported the bite marks and itching in several berths on board the submarine. The error may later have spread to at least one officer’s cabin. They also reported that the complaints had become so severe that recently some sailors slept in their cars on the base.

The Navy confirmed that some seafarers had been temporarily relocated to onshore barracks during the ongoing refurbishment. The Navy reports that mattresses have been replaced in the infected areas of the ship and that bedding, curtains on the berths, uniforms and other fabrics have been replaced or chemically treated.

Daily inspections on board the submarine continue, but the Navy believes the infestation has been successfully treated. The sailors were brought back on board the ship to continue their training exercises.