A hundred crew members aboard the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt are stricken with the coronavirus according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The Wall Street Journal reports “at least 70”.
Space limitations on military ships do not lend themselves with social distancing so the Aircraft Carrier Captain Pleads for Help from the Navy.
The captain of a nuclear aircraft carrier with more than 100 sailors infected with the coronavirus pleaded Monday with U.S. Navy officials for resources to allow isolation of his entire crew and avoid possible deaths in a situation he described as quickly deteriorating.
The unusual plea from Capt. Brett Crozier, a Santa Rosa native, came in a letter obtained exclusively by The Chronicle and confirmed by a senior officer on board the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, which has been docked in Guam following a COVID-19 outbreak among the crew of more than 4,000 less than a week ago.
Similarly, the WSJ reports Captain of Virus-Stricken Navy Aircraft Carrier Asks for More Help
“We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die,” wrote Capt. Brett Crozier, commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier that had been operating in the Pacific.
“If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset—our sailors.”
In his memo, Capt. Crozier described the limitations of testing, saying that of the first 33 sailors tested for coronavirus, seven who tested negative displayed symptoms of infection one to three days later.
Capt. Crozier said that the ship’s close quarters rendered the carrier unable to comply with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for social distancing. He wrote that close quarters, shared meals and bathroom spaces are “most conducive” to the spread of the virus.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
The stats coming out of this experiment might be the only useful thing we will ever get of this tax payer funded toys.
Moronic from military operations perspective. Should have been on hermetic lockdown from mid Jan with strict protocols in place wrt supplies.
If they haven’t been quarantining new arrivals for at least 14 days before allowing them onto the carrier, then they were just begging for this to happen.
Everyone on that CVBG will eventually contract the virus,that was the PLA’s original plan.PI recruits will all get it,spreading it to Lejuene,trillion dollar military will be down for the count.
The only thing this says to me is that $USD as global reserve currency is in its final days. Prepare yourselves accordingly.
If it spreads by aerosol, as a recent study indicates, all ships will spread it through their air circulation.
I hope these sailors are okay but it’s time for the US military/foreign policy establishment to step back from its wasteful operations around the globe. No country is a threat to US. ‘We’ have been the aggressors for the past 30 years and the results are horrific for people in other countries.
ugh – my nephew has orders to fly out to that ship – hope they get canceled.
Looks like the navy is running an experiment – What is the impact of C19 in a younger population (practic for our next set of guidelines sheltering in place – for the older population only). On a ship, I would guess the average age is 30ish, which has a mortality rate between .01 and .03% if that is accurate (but they should have few co-mobilities) -> the result would be 5-15 dead for a crew of 5K. Not a number that shuts down operations, simply not enough of the crew sick at any one time.
Questions – how long were they at sea? I found a Jan 17th sail date. The first US case was reported on Jan 19th. Were any screenings done prior to leaving shore? How many people rotate on from the US or other locations? Humm… this puts timelines in question. This will be an interesting one to watch.
carriers.net
“January 17, 2020 USS Theodore Roosevelt departed San Diego for a scheduled Indo-Pacific deployment.
January 28, The Theodore Roosevelt conducted a replenishment-at-sea with the USNS Arctic (T-AOE 8), while underway off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii; Conducted a replenishment-at-sea with the USNS Carl Brashear (T-AKE 7) on Feb. 4.
February 7, USS Theodore Roosevelt moored at Kilo Wharf in Apra Harbor, Guam, for a three-day liberty port visit; Conducted a replenishment-at-sea with the USNS Pecos (T-AO 197) on Feb. 13.
February 15, USS Theodore Roosevelt participated in a photo exercise (PHOTOEX) with the USS America (LHA 6), USS Germantown (LSD 42) and USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), while underway southeast of Okinawa; Conducted a replenishment-at-sea with the USNS Pecos on Feb. 26; Transited the Luzon Strait westbound on March 1.?
March 5, The Theodore Roosevelt anchored off the coast of Tien Sa Port in Da Nang, Vietnam, for a four-day port visit.
March 15, USS Theodore Roosevelt, along with the USS Bunker Hill and USS Russell (DDG 59), participated in a PHOTOEX with the USS America, USS Green Bay (LPD 20) and USS McCampbell (DDG 85), while underway in the South China Sea as a “show of force;” Conducted a replenishment-at-sea with the USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199) on March 17.
March 24, USS Theodore Roosevelt participated in a PHOTOEX with the USS America, USS Green Bay, USS Germantown (LSD 42), USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), USS Bunker Hill and USS Mustin (DDG 89), while underway in the Philippine Sea; Moored at Kilo Wharf in Apra Harbor, Guam, on March 27. “
The MAD defense strategy looks real smart about now, for everyone.
Don’t suppose we will be seeing this on Smithsonian TV? In their mighty US military series … a pity – as it would get us away from all that jingoistic nonsense.
Future warfare has changed forever. Go autonomous or get hit by a biological agent that cripples crews.
Actually, news reports yesterday revealed that the USS Ronald Reagan is also fighting an outbreak, which doubles the count of carriers fighting the virus.
Around the same time that information was released, the Stars and Stripes reported that all US DOD assets and commands had been ordered to stop sharing infection numbers publicly.
Smart move. The last thing you want is some country or countries thinking (knowing) that we are weakened.
It also makes one wonder about the offhand remark of General Terrence O’Shaughnessy – the man in charge of NORAD and NORTHCOM -on the move of a significant number of personell to Cheyenne Mountain, that his
“…primary concern was … are we going to have the space inside the mountain for everybody who wants to move in there, and I’m not at liberty to discuss who’s moving in there…”
Things that make you go “Hm…”
Forgot to add this:
Pentagon also says that boot camps will remain open:
Those of us who have been there will remember the inevitable “recruit crud” that happens when you cram 200 people from disparate walks of life and across the globe into a tiny little space. Everyone shares their respective bugs and everyone gets sick.
They will have to come up with a new nickname for this.
Seems a little harsh, but that’s one way to weed out the fatties.
NOW is the time for China and Russia to attack and change the world order !
“I like the numbers where they are. I don’t need to have the numbers double because of one ship”
“We are not at war.”
What alternate universe is the Captain of that ship living in?
We’re not at war with something an aircraft carrier can do anything about.