US sailor from aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt dies of coronavirus

The ship’s commander was fired after writing a letter to Navy leadership pleading for help amid the outbreak aboard the carrier

So far, about 585 sailors aboard the carrier have tested positive for Covid-19

2-MIN READ2-MIN

The Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier is docked in Guam. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:22pm, 13 Apr 2020Updated: 4:56am, 14 Apr 2020

A sailor who was aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier died on Monday of Covid-19, the first fatality from more than 500 confirmed cases among its crew, the US Navy said.

Late last month the captain of the aircraft carrier, in a blunt letter, called on Navy leadership for stronger measures to save the lives of his sailors and stop the spread of the coronavirus aboard the huge ship.

“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 Brett Crozier wrote.

So far, about 585 sailors aboard the nuclear-powered carrier have tested positive for the coronavirus. About 4,000 sailors have been moved from the carrier to facilities in Guam, where the ship has been docked after the number of cases started increasing.

That letter, which was obtained by a number of news outlets, set in motion a series of events that led to Crozier’s firing and the resignation last week of acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly.

Modly’s resignation followed mounting backlash for his firing and ridiculing Crozier.