A complaint was first filed in December after crew members reported bedbugs onboard while the submarine was moored at Naval Base Kitsap- Bremerton in Washington, but entomologists couldn’t find the infestation until nearly a month later. Mattresses were replaced and all floors and linens received full chemical treatment to eradicate the bedbugs. Crew members have since safely returned to the submarine.
Chief Amanda Gray, deputy public affairs officer of the Navy Pacific Fleet’s submarine force, told CNN that as soon as crew members brought the complaint of bedbugs to Navy leadership, a team of preventive medicine technicians was called from Naval Hospital Bremerton to search the submarine.
“They have to actually find a bedbug for them to actually do something to really treat it because you know, there are all kinds of things that can cause, you know, itching your skin. They have to confirm that that’s really the issue (bedbugs) before they actually start tackling it,” said Gray.
No health issues were reported by sailors on board during the bedbug infestation, except for a “couple bites here and there,” said Gray.
Daily inspections continue onboard the submarine to ensure the space stays bedbug-free, including proper laundering of all linens.