Navy releases report on USS Roosevelt COVID outbreak

Well the Navy has released their 1,897 page of CYA material regarding the outbreak of COVID on the Big Stick earlier this year. The event was highly publicized by the carrier’s captain, who was relieved of command for it.

The KoB sends that Military.com has “Six big takeaways”;

At least one leader regretted stopping in Vietnam.

Navy officials have said they’ve found no fault in the decision to allow the Theodore Roosevelt and one other ship to make a port call in Vietnam in the early days of the pandemic, when the illness was spreading in the region.

Most officers involved in the decision making, including the fleet commander and the flag officer aboard ship, think that the port call was handled as safely as possible with the information available at the time, one regrets it.

One of the ship’s executive officers (it’s not clear which XO is quoted as the name’s redacted) said,

“Knowing everything I know now, I probably would not go into port,” he told investigators.

I feel like that should be a sentiment shared by every officer involved.

[Captain] Crozier explains the email that led to his firing.

“My intent in sending the email on 30 March was to bring a sense of urgency to a rapidly deteriorating and potentially deadly situation onboard the TR and avoid a larger catastrophe and loss of life,” Crozier said in a witness statement. “Although my method may have been imperfect, I reached out to those in my Chain of Command whom I believed were in the best position to provide immediate assistance to expedite the necessary decision and action.

“Despite possible long-term repercussions to my career,” the captain added, “I acted in what I believed was in the best interest of the Sailors aboard TR.”

There was concern over sailors hiding symptoms.

Once the Teddy Roosevelt stopped in Guam to increase social distancing and quarantine measures by unloading crew members, rumors were spreading about the conditions ashore. According to the report, they included claims about bad meals, no internet or phone service and uncomfortable cots.

The executive officer said the carrier’s leaders were worried some might even hide their symptoms to avoid leaving the ship.

What? Sailors wouldn’t jump at the chance to go ashore, sleep on cots, eat crappy food, and have no modern luxuries? It seems the Navy just discovered that their sailors aren’t Marines.

‘A failure.’

Gilday cited Crozier’s decision to release sailors aboard the Roosevelt from a designated quarantine area, which the CNO said potentially put others at risk, when explaining why the captain’s relief would be upheld. The investigation details a complex situation in the ship’s aft quarantine space.

Multiple witness statements, including from Crozier and the XO, detail what the report refers to as “human suffering” in the aft quarantine area. The large number of sailors there was “unmanageable,” one witness said.

Quarantining a quarter of the ship’s crew on board was a dismal failure. The day after ending the on-ship quarantine, Crozier sent out his fateful e-mail.

There were alternate port options.

Before Navy leaders decided to have the Roosevelt stop in Guam, they were also considering sending the carrier to Japan, Hawaii or San Diego.

No surprises there. The governor of Guam demanded the sailors brought ashore be strictly quarantined to prevent a widespread outbreak. That seems like a prudent move on her part.

Leaders prepared for casualties.

As COVID-19 cases first began spreading on the ship, Crozier said they began preparing for the worst early on.

“We were reminded by … to review our command Casualty Assistance Calls Officer procedures to ensure we were prepared for a possible fatality,” Crozier told investigators.

One Roosevelt sailor, Chief Petty Officer Charles Robert Thacker Jr., a 41-year-old aviation ordnanceman, died of COVID-19 in April. Thacker had tested positive for the illness in late March and was moved off the ship and into isolation with other crew members with the virus.

Another prudent move.

To the surprise of noone, the one-star in command of the carrier strike group, who was aboard USS TR the whole time and is still in command, is apparently minimally to blame in this whole affair. His scheduled promotion to two star is being put on hold, but he’s retaining his command.

Category: "Your Tax Dollars At Work", COVID-19, Guest Link, Navy