A sailor from the USS Theodore Roosevelt, whose captain was fired after voicing concerns for his crew amid a coronavirus outbreak on board the US Navy ship, has died from complications related to COVID-19.
The Navy confirmed the sailor died Monday in the US Naval Hospital in Guam. Their identity was not released publicly, pending notification to next of kin.
The sailor had tested positive for COVID-19 on March 30 and was removed, along with four other sailors, from the Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier.
A statement from the Navy on Monday said the sailor who died had been found unresponsive on the morning of April 9 on the Guam Navy base, during one of the twice-daily medical checks.
After being given CPR, he was transferred to an intensive care unit and died four days later.
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The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is docked at Naval Base Guam in Apra Harbor, April 10.
The day that sailor first tested positive for COVID-19, Theodore Roosevelt’s Capt. Brett Crozier wrote a message begging for further help to evacuate the ship and isolate his crew in Guam after the virus outbreak.
“The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating,” wrote Crozier. “We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to take care of our most trusted asset — our sailors.”
The email was sent to 20 Navy officials and quickly leaked to the media.
Three days later, acting Navy Secretary Thomas B. Modly fired Crozier, saying that his letter was sent outside the chain of command over unclassified email. Modly also said that Crozier’s actions made people believe that the Navy was not doing enough to protect sailors.
But according to the New York Times, Modly removed Crozier because he believed that President Donald Trump wanted him gone.
Handout / Getty Images
Capt. Brett Crozier addresses the crew for the first time as commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, Nov. 1, 2019.
As Crozier left the ship for the final time on April 3, viral videos showed his crew cheering and screaming in support.
Modly then visited the ship and in a speech to its crew called Crozier either “too naive” or “too stupid” to lead it. Navy officials and lawmakers called for Modly to be removed for his response to the Theodore Roosevelt crisis, and he resigned April 7.
Crozier, who tested positive for the coronavirus, is still in isolation on the Navy base in Guam, according to the New York Times.
Over 580 of the ship’s 4,800 person crew have tested positive for COVID-19.