New videos from a sailor show 'horrible' polluted drinking water on a US Navy aircraft carrier

• The US Navy found drinking water on an aircraft carrier was polluted with bacteria and bilge water.
• Videos shared with Insider by a USS Abraham Lincoln sailor show murky water bubbling out of drinking fountains and sinks on September 21-22.

Videos from aboard the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln obtained by Insider just days after the Navy determined that the ship's drinking water was contaminated by bilge water show gray, murky water coming out of drinking fountains and sinks.

One sailor told Insider "it was horrible" and that at times the water the crew used to drink, bathe, and cook appeared "black." Another could be heard in a video saying it smelled "like shit."

Sailors on the Lincoln first noticed an unusual "odor and cloudy appearance" in the ship's water on September 21 while at sea, according to a statement released by the Navy earlier this month. Testing the next day revealed the presence of E. coli bacteria in a few of the Lincoln's potable water tanks, the Navy said.

But the E. coli didn't cause the smell and discoloration. On October 21, a month after issues were first detected aboard the carrier, the sea service said that it determined that the ship's water supply had been polluted by bilge water, wastewater that collects in the bowels of the ship.

A sailor, whose identity is known to Insider but is being withheld due to concerns about the possibility of retribution, told Insider that the polluted water was inescapable. The sailor said they reported stomach issues after drinking the water last month but were told to go back to work. Other shipmates, the sailor added, reported experiencing rashes. The Navy, however, said earlier this month that no sailors experienced any health issues related to the ship's water quality.

'Can't escape it'

The sailor recalled feeling thirsty when they woke up for breakfast on September 21 and heading to a water fountain for a quick sip.

"It tasted just horrible," they said.

The sailor thought it tasted like fuel, but they figured they were just being affected by the smells from the flight deck.

At breakfast, however, the sailor heard other shipmates complaining that water from fountains and sinks around the ship smelled strange. In footage shared with Insider, one sailor can be heard saying the water "smells like shit." Still, the sailor said, the crew was drinking it.

The sailor said the Lincoln's commanding officer "didn't come on and make an announcement about it until after everyone had already taken their showers and drank the water."

The commanding officer did eventually speak to the crew, the sailor said, but she told people not to worry, stressing that there was no jet fuel contaminating the water like there was recently on another aircraft carrier, USS Nimitz.

The commanding officer later acknowledged the presence of E. coli bacteria in the ship's water, but expressed uncertainty as to whether it was "good or bad," the sailor said, adding that they "were never told not to drink the water." Insider obtained recordings of the announcements made to the crew.

The Navy said bottled water was provided to the crew, but the sailor said it was difficult to find.

The ship's vending machines and store sold out of water immediately and weren't restocked, the sailor said. Crewmembers eventually started relying on Gatorade and soda.

"Even if we opted out of not drinking water for a few days, you still can't escape it because we still have to shower," the sailor said. "We still were eating the food … they cook everything with water."

Bilge water in the water tanks

By October 3, the Lincoln had returned to San Diego's Naval Air Station North Island, where it was connected to the city's local water supply, the Navy said in an October 13 statement on the presence of E. coli bacteria in the water.

"The three tanks that were found to have water with E. coli also contained the water with the odor and cloudiness," Naval Air Forces Cmdr. Zach Harrell explained to Insider. "Those tanks were immediately isolated and secured from the potable water system."

The sailor Insider spoke with said the ship's commanding officer made an announcement on October 21 saying that more tests were being conducted as it was unclear what had caused the water to become discolored and develop an unusual smell.

Navy officials released a statement the same day, however, disclosing that the day before it had been determined that "bilge water entered one of the potable water tanks through a hole that was found in the tank's air vent line, causing the cloudy appearance and odor in the ship's potable water."

Bilge water is excess water that drains from the upper decks or interior areas of a ship and is collected in the lowest compartments, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

This water can seep down from the flight decks and hangars were aircraft are stored and readied, or originate in the engineering spaces deep down in the ship where the crew maintains the many systems that keep the ship running.

The consistency of a ship's bilge water can vary, but it is wastewater that can contain any number of potentially hazardous substances like fuel, oil, paint, so-called "forever chemicals" in fire-fighting foam, and even sewage.

'It's always the mission in their mind'

Though the Navy has said there were no related illnesses, the sailor said they experienced some stomach issues — initially believing it may have been related to food poisoning — and even sought medical attention for the issue, but they were only given Pepto-Bismol and told to go back to work. They said a few of their friends had developed rashes but didn't go seek medical treatment. Instead, they just "sucked it up" and waited for it to pass.

"I felt like we were going crazy because [the commanding officer] was sitting here telling us that there's nothing in it, but we're sitting here drinking it and smelling it and it just smells horrible," the sailor said.

The sailor accused the Navy of downplaying the severity of the contamination and said all they want from the ship's leadership is transparency.

"It's always the mission in their mind. That's what they say all the time. It's always the mission that comes first to them, even if it's putting other lives at risk," the sailor said.

The sailor said the water's strange smell and appearance still lingers in some places, though the Navy said it abated weeks ago.

The Lincoln is the second aircraft carrier to deal with water contamination within the last few weeks.

Just days before issues were first reported on the Lincoln, the Navy discovered what it described as "traces" of jet fuel in the water aboard the USS Nimitz. A sailor on that ship, and their parents, told Insider that the contamination was much worse than what the Navy originally revealed publicly.

And contaminated water on Navy ships is not limited to these two aircraft carriers. Navy and Marine Corps veterans recently told Insider that sailors on flattops, aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, have grappled with water contaminated by jet fuel for decades.

The Navy did not respond to Insider's request seeking comment on allegations and concerns raised by sailors, the problem of contaminated water on its aircraft carriers and other vessels, or service plans to proactively prevent the issue from coming up again.