Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush and his daughter, Doro Bush Koch, walk across the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) in the Atlantic Ocean on May 26, 2009. Bush and his daughter are aboard to observe flight operations during the ship's underway period. (UPI Photo/Dominique J. Moore/U.S. Navy) | License Photo

Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, left, and Capt. Bob Roth, executive officer of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), watch as an F/A-18F Super Hornet is launched in the Atlantic Ocean on May 26, 2009 during flight operations. Bush, the aircraft carrier's namesake, was on hand to watch flight deck operations, fulfilling a wish he made in 2006 at the ship's christening. (UPI Photo/Dominique J. Moore/U.S. Navy) | License Photo

U.S. Sailors assigned to the air department of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) stand on the flight deck after finishing flight operations on May 21, 2009, in the Atlantic Ocean. (UPI Photo/Nicholas Hall/Navy) | License Photo

Former President George H.W. Bush speaks to Sailors via the ship's announcing system aboard the aircraft carrier that bears his name, USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). UPI/J. Scott St. Clair/U.S. Navy | License Photo

NORFOLK, Va., Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Crew members on the George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf say they sometimes can't find a working toilet aboard because of plumbing outages.

The crew members say the lack of working toilets aboard the ship, which began its first combat deployment in May, has affected their morale, health and job performance, The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot reported Tuesday.


The mother of one sailor aboard the ship sent out a press release during the weekend about the widespread toilet outages.

"The sailors aboard the USS George H.W. Bush have already endured nearly six months with an unhealthy 'inconvenience' that most civilians would not tolerate for six hours," Mary Brotherton wrote.

Her son, Petty Officer 1st Richard Frakes, said in an e-mail interview he sometimes has had to search nearly an hour for a working toilet.

"It definitely affects my morale," said Frakes, an aviation mechanic. "When I was unable to relieve myself for two days, I was irate to say the least."

Some sailors aboard the ship told the Navy Times they've urinated in sinks, showers and bottles and say some have developed infections from putting off going to the bathroom.

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Brotherton said her son told her he had been limiting food and water intake so he didn't need use the bathroom as often, and that can cause dehydration.

The Virginian-Pilot said the problem has been caused by the vacuum system that pulls water through 250 miles pipe aboard the ship -- the first aircraft carrier with a vacuum system, similar to the ones on commercial airplanes and cruise ships.

The Navy told the newspaper in a written response to questions most of the outages -- and the ones that take longest to fix -- have been caused by sailors flushing "inappropriate material or items" down the toilets.

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