The coronavirus was spreading out of control on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, docked in Guam. Captain Brett Crozier pleaded with his superiors to evacuate most of the sailors from the ship to try to stem the infection. On March 30th, after being rebuffed by his superiors for days, Captain Crozier wrote a letter that he knew would probably end his navy career. In the letter, he wrote: “We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset — our Sailors.”

Captain Crozier was subsequently fired. The number of infections on the Roosevelt rose from three sailors on March 25th to almost 600 today, including Captain Crozier. And yesterday, the first sailor died. His name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

When he drafted the email-letter, Captain Crozier was not alone in his concerns. He showed it to several senior officers aboard the ship, who told him they wanted to sign it, too. Captain Crozier, fearing for their careers, told them no.

Three other aircraft carriers have had reports of sailors testing positive for the virus –  USS Ronald Reagan, USS Carl Vinson and the USS Nimitz.

Yesterday, the Navy also announced that the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is being left at sea for at least the next three weeks to protect the crew from the risks posed by COVID-19, following the completion of its recent deployment.

““The ship is entering a period in which it needs to be ready to respond and deploy at any time,” said Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis, commander U.S. 2nd Fleet. “Normally we can do that pierside, but in the face of COVID-19, we need to protect our most valuable asset, our people, by keeping the ship out to sea.” 

The carrier strike group is made up of the carrier USS Harry Truman, the guided-missile destroyers Forrest Sherman, Farragut, and Lassen, as well as the guided-missile cruiser Normandy.