In this photo taken April 7 2020, provided by the U.S. Navy, sailors and staff assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt listen as Vice Adm. William Merz, commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, answers questions during a visit to the ship at Naval Base Guam. People in Guam are used to a constant U.S. military presence on the strategic Pacific island, but some are nervous as hundreds of sailors from the coronavirus-stricken Navy aircraft carrier flood into hotels for quarantine. Officials insist they have enforced strict safety measures.
Mass Communication Specialist Kaylianna Genier / U.S. Navy via AP Photo
Sailor on USS Theodore Roosevelt dies from COVID-19 complications
The sailor tested positive for COVID-19 on March 30th.
By Laura Wamsley/NPR
Mass Communication Specialist Kaylianna Genier / U.S. Navy via AP Photo
In this photo taken April 7 2020, provided by the U.S. Navy, sailors and staff assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt listen as Vice Adm. William Merz, commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, answers questions during a visit to the ship at Naval Base Guam. People in Guam are used to a constant U.S. military presence on the strategic Pacific island, but some are nervous as hundreds of sailors from the coronavirus-stricken Navy aircraft carrier flood into hotels for quarantine. Officials insist they have enforced strict safety measures.
(Washington) — A sailor assigned to the USS Theodore Roosevelt warship has died from COVID-19-related complications, the Navy said Monday.
The sailor’s name is being withheld until 24 hours after his family is notified.
The sailor tested positive for COVID-19 on March 30 and was removed from the aircraft carrier and placed in an isolation house in Guam with four other sailors from the ship.
On April 9, the sailor was found unresponsive during a medical check and CPR was administered. The sailor was moved to the ICU at a U.S. naval hospital in Guam and was declared dead on April 13.
“We mourn the loss of the Sailor from USS Theodore Roosevelt who died today, and we stand alongside their family, loved ones, and shipmates as they grieve,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday said in a statement. “This is a great loss for the ship and for our Navy. My deepest sympathy goes out to the family, and we pledge our full support to the ship and crew as they continue their fight against the coronavirus.”
U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicholas Huynh / AP Photo
In this Nov. 15, 2019, photo U.S. Navy Capt. Brett Crozier, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), addresses the crew during an all-hands call on the ship’s flight deck while conducting routine operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. U.S. defense leaders are backing the Navy’s decision to fire the ship captain who sought help for his coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier, even as videos showed his sailors cheering him as he walked off the vessel. Videos went viral on social media Friday, April 3, 2020, showing hundreds of sailors gathered on the ship chanting and applauding Navy Capt. Brett Crozier as he walked down the ramp, turned, saluted, waved and got into a waiting car.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper also expressed sadness at the death of the sailor. “Our thoughts are with the family of the USS Theodore Roosevelt sailor who lost his battle with the virus today. We remain committed to protecting our personnel and their families while continuing to assist in defeating this outbreak,” he said in a statement.
As of Sunday, 585 Roosevelt sailors have tested positive for the virus, while 3,921 have tested negative. More than 4,000 sailors have been moved ashore.
As NPR’s David Welna reported, the Roosevelt’s skipper, Capt. Brett Crozier, was removed from his command by then-acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly on April 2 after writing an impassioned and widely publicized letter to his superiors for a faster response to the coronavirus outbreak on the ship. Modly then resigned last week after he was criticized for an address to the ship’s crew in which he accused Crozier of being “either too naive or too stupid” to believe the letter wouldn’t be leaked to the press.
The Roosevelt sailor is the second service member to die from the virus. A New Jersey National Guard soldier who served as a physician assistant, Capt. Douglas Linn Hickok, died on March 28.
