Sailors head back to aircraft carrier hit by virus outbreak
Navy to widen carrier probe, delaying decision on commander
(about 13 hours later)
WASHINGTON — Navy sailors who have been quarantined on Guam for weeks were beginning to move back to the USS Theodore Roosevelt Tuesday night, U.S. officials said. A coronavirus outbreak sidelined the aircraft carrier in late March.
WASHINGTON — The Navy will conduct a legal investigation of circumstances surrounding the spread of the coronavirus aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, a move that effectively delays a decision on whether to reinstate the ship’s captain, two U.S. officials said Wednesday.
Hundreds of sailors are expected to reboard the ship over the next several days, after spending about a month in gyms, hotels and other facilities while the ship was cleaned, officials said.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a decision not yet publicly announced.
Their move back to the ship marks a critical turning point in a drama that has rocked the Navy leadership, forced the firing of the Roosevelt’s captain, and impacted the fleet across the Pacific, a region critical to America’s national security interests. And it signals that the carrier is inching its way back into service.
The decision comes several days after Navy leaders met with Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to discuss the Navy’s recommendation that Capt. Brett Crozier be restored to command of the ship.
Officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss events ahead of the announcement.
One official said the wider investigation is intended to last no longer than 30 days. Both officials said the intention is to look more closely at an array of issues related to the Roosevelt’s encounter with the virus and how decisions were made.
The ship gained attention when it was forced to dock in Guam because of the virus outbreak. But it really grabbed headlines when its commander, Navy Capt. Brett Crozier, was fired for sending an email pleading with commanders to take faster action to address the virus.
The Navy inquiry on which it based its recommendation to restore Crozier to command was headed by the vice chief of naval operations, Adm. Robert Burke, and has not been made public. Esper had been expected to decide whether to endorse the recommendation and the report after he met last Friday with Adm. Mike Gilday, the chief of naval operations, and James McPherson, the acting Navy secretary. But there apparently were additional questions that Esper and others felt needed further investigation.
He was fired by Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly, who publicly condemned Crozier in a visit to the ship. Modly later resigned amid heated criticism. Last week, the top Navy officer, Adm. Mike Gilday, recommended that Crozier be reinstated. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has not yet taken any action.
Crew on the Roosevelt have been cleaning the ship, space by space, and then cordoning off clear areas. The bulk of the ship has been cleared and is ready for sailors to return.
The sailors will go back to the ship in waves, moving to clean sections and taking over running the ship. Essential personnel will be among the first to return, including sailors who work with the nuclear reactor and those who stand watch.
The sailors who have remained on the Roosevelt to keep it secure and monitor its nuclear reactor will now go ashore for quarantine.
More than 4,000 of the roughly 4,800 crew members had been taken off the ship. As of Tuesday, 940 sailors have tested positive for the virus, and 29 have recovered. Sailors must have two successive negative tests before they are considered virus-free. Only then can they return to the ship.
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
