Aircraft carrier captain removed from duty after pleading for help with coronavirus outbreak

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/490892-aircraft-carrier-captain-to-be-removed-from-duty-after-pleading-for-help-with?fbclid=IwAR2TRjGB97IAAKQL7Oj1BOCAwabf7jiQBtKbPAvVXUxBl3C9TAuCnVFKKDY

By Rebecca Kheel - 04/02/20 04:33 PM EDT


The captain of an aircraft carrier struggling with a coronavirus outbreak has been relieved from command after a letter he penned pleading for help leaked to the media.

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As of Thursday, 114 sailors on board the Roosevelt had tested positive for COVID-19. The 4,800-crew ship has been docked in Guam since last week while the entire crew is tested for the virus.

In his letter, Crozier pleaded in stark terms for permission to evacuate all but 10 percent of the crew from the Roosevelt, where he said it was impossible to properly isolate and quarantine sailors to stop a growing coronavirus outbreak.

“We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die,” Crozier wrote. “If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset — our sailors.”

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