Charles de Gaulle
We have been following the spread of the coronavirus on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, where almost 600 sailors, including the captain, who was fired for speaking out about the spread, have tested positive for the virus. One crew member on the Roosevelt has died from the infection. Three other US aircraft carriers have reports of crew testing positive, as well.
Now the BBC reports that a third of the sailors serving with France’s aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle – 668 out of nearly 2,000 – are infected with the coronavirus. Nearly all of those infected are on the carrier itself. An escorting frigate and carrier pilots are also in quarantine.
The carrier returned to the French port of Toulon early from Atlantic exercises. Twenty sailors have been hospitalized, with one in intensive care. The infection total is likely to rise, as 30% of test results are not yet in.
The infection has not just been limited to surface ships. At least eight of the 58 member crew of the Dutch submarine MS Dolfijn tested positive for the virus after coming down with flu-like symptoms. The submarine cut short its North Sea mission by two weeks and returned to its base in Den Helder.
Last month, the crews of two Russian submarines and a support vessel were put in quarantine after being exposed to a civilian contractor believed to have the virus. One of the submarines was the Orel, an Oscar II class guided missile submarine. There are no reports on whether any of the crews were infected by the contact.
In the US, both Navy hospital ships have had crew who tested positive for the virus. Shortly after arriving in New York harbor, a crew member on the USNS Comfort tested positive for the virus.
On the West Coast, seven crew members aboard the USNS Mercy hospital ship, docked at the port of Los Angeles, have tested positive for coronavirus. “Two crewmembers had minimal contact with a very small number of patients, and both were wearing the proper personal protective equipment during those interactions,” the Navy said in a statement. The Navy subsequently removed 116 medical staff members from the ship. The staff were moved to a military base where they were put into quarantine.
I’m involved with an outfit with some 50 boats currently sitting at the dock, because it’s a) impossible to plausibly assemble a safe crew from a diversity of circumstances particular to each crew member and b) once on a boat, containing transmission is effectively impossible. And surprisingly enough, once all of the abstractions are stripped away, getting sick and dying turns out to be a downer for most normal people.
With adequate testing, “a)” can be solved. As with so many other situations.
Solution? Cut off funding to WHO. Wait, no, that won’t work. OK, try blaming Chinese for something that happened months ago and doesn’t really pertain to “now.” Oops, no. Doubt the data– maybe that’s the solution!? No, people keep on dying so that’s not on.
Perhaps after all the blame-deflection chaff falls out of the air we’ll get around to doing the obvious.
I might add, those idle boats are having a catastrophic effect on payroll. We’re going to have a capacity loss that takes years to repair.
Where’s the testing stand, after the press conference is over? Same as yesterday? Yes.
But tests need to be fluidly, quickly available. Time to stop throwing blame from the podium, get this sorted. The faster, the better.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/16/politics/esper-open-minded-crozier/index.html
Navy might rehire the dismissed captain
Is it really necessary to post your political ideology here? There is enough of that in the rest of the world. I come here to get away from all the blathering and hatred.
If you consider any criticism of the current administration to be “blathering and hatred” then I suspect that you will not be happy reading this blog.
I have no interest in starting any type of political hash. i am a one size fits all with politicians type guy, don’t like any of them. I just thought it really is unnecessary to drag politics into any discussion here.
In Rick’s defense, I just read his OP again and I fail to see anything but facts detailed therein.
I myself stand guilty of connecting some other facts about the impacts of failure to establish a testing regimen with excuses offered to explain that failure. This creates a “political” atmosphere as an inevitability, as the connection between failing to test and failure to be able to restart the economy is the outcome of political choices made by a politician.
Thanks. No need for defense. I will continue to express my views on all topics, political or otherwise.