Over 1,000 aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, including Captain Crozier, had tested positive for the coronavirus
Washington:
The US Navy said on Friday that it would not reinstate the captain of an aircraft carrier struck by coronavirus, saying that he was partly responsible for the severity of the warship crisis.
Admiral Michael Gilday, chief of naval operations, said Brett Crozier, who was fired as captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt in April, was guilty of “questionable judgment” in dealing with an epidemic of COVID-19 aboard the nuclear powered ship in March.
Gilday also blamed Rear Admiral Stuart Baker, Crozier’s direct supervisor as the carrier’s strike group commander, for the wrong direction.
“I don’t think Admiral Baker and Captain Crozier have come close to what we expect from the commanders,” said Gilday.
“In examining the actions of Admiral Baker and Captain Crozier, they did not do enough, soon enough, to fulfill their primary obligation” to ensure the safety of the 5,000 crew members on the ship.
After a two-month investigation, the Navy decided that Crozier would not return to the Roosevelt and would not be allowed to steer another ship.
Baker’s pending promotion has been suspended pending further review.
The coronavirus epidemic on board the Roosevelt was one of the first American crises of the pandemic, paralyzing the gigantic ship and forcing it to last more than a month in the port of Guam.
He raised questions about the U.S. war readiness and concerns about potential outbreaks on other ships.
Over 1,000 crew members, including Crozier, eventually tested positive for the disease, although few showed severe symptoms and only one died.
The case made the headlines after a letter written by Crozier complaining of the lack of support to deal with the epidemic was released to the media in late March.
While an initial investigation appeared to support Crozier’s complaints, further investigation showed that Crozier and Baker had not both taken the correct command in the face of the crisis, said Gilday.
They “failed” to quickly evacuate the sailors from the ship to sequestered facilities in Guam, he said.
Crozier focused more on the comfort of sailors, organizing hotel rooms rather than accepting facilities already prepared in gymnasiums, said Gilday.
“Removing them quickly was the main thing,” he said.
“The problem here is really the performance standards, especially in times of crisis.”
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
