Four days after a leaked letter by USS Roosevelt commander Capt. Brett Crozier warned of death and contagion on a carrier at sea, Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly relieved him of his duties.
“The letter was sent over not-secure, unclassified email even though the ship possesses some of the most sophisticated equipment in the fleet,” Modly said at an abruptly called Pentagon press conference Thursday.
“It wasn’t just sent up the chain of command, it was copied to a broad array of other people,” Modly added, saying some 20 to 30 copies led to “a little bit of panic on the ship” and the letter’s leaking to the media.
Crozier’s letter said in part: “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.”
Modly added that 114 Roosevelt sailors have now tested positive for COVID-19.
“I can tell you with great certainty there’s going to be more, and it’ll probably be in the hundreds,” he said of sailors from the sidelined carrier, which is docked in Guam.
Crozier had called for a more rapid disembarking of his crew to prevent the virus from further spreading. The Navy said help was on the way.
By Sunday, the Roosevelt already had dozens of infected sailors and the Navy was planning to test all 4,800 crew members. In prior days, eight sailors who had tested positive had been flown off the ship as it sailed in the Pacific.
Modly said he was aware of the situation prior to the letter’s release and his chief of staff had already spoke directly to Crozier. He added that plans were underway to house the sailors on the island to stop the contagion, and by week’s end there will be 3,000 rooms ready.
Modly did not accuse Crozier of leaking the letter directly to the San Francisco Chronicle, though he did note the outlet was his “hometown paper,” and said the commander’s action showed “extremely poor judgment.”
The navy secretary said the Roosevelt’s prior commander, Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello, was selected to take command of the ship as soon as he arrives in Guam.
