The most advanced warship the world has ever seen wants male sailors to squat-to-pee:
The Navy’s Newest Aircraft Carrier Has No Urinals https://t.co/Mx2CrGZPIK pic.twitter.com/jFEKf2KWsU
— GovExec (@GovExec) July 25, 2017
From the article:
For one thing, it’s not uncommon to find women serving aboard such carriers these days. Women account for nearly 20% of the sailors in the US Navy. So, the ship’s designers adapted to the new reality. According to the Navy Times, the Ford has no urinals—only seated toilets with stalls.
Urinals have their advantages. They take up less space. They allow men to relieve themselves while standing, without creating a hygiene problem. Many men will no doubt opt to stand despite the option to sit—and create a smelly mess when they miss the target.
Here’s what the bathrooms look like:
There Are No Urinals Aboard The U.S. Navy's Newest Aircraft Carrier USS Gerald Ford https://t.co/kKeK8TorNh #USSGeraldFord #USNavy pic.twitter.com/EXxT3lM0Op
— War News Updates (@WarNewsUpdates) July 22, 2017
What a mess, both figuratively and literally.
According to the Navy Times, it allows the ship the flexibility to change berthing areas:
It will allow the Navy to quickly and efficiently change a head’s assigned gender, so depending on the ship’s demographics at the time, berthing areas can be switched between male and female to accommodate the crew’s needs.
“This is designed to give the ship flexibility because there aren’t any berthing areas that are dedicated to one sex or the other,” Operations Specialist 1st Class Kaylea Motsenbocker told Navy Times recently.
This is stupid. Why couldn’t there be urinals in all bathrooms regardless of which gender it’s assigned to at the time?
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