Sailor from USS Theodore Roosevelt dies of COVID-19

“The Sailor assigned to the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) who was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the US Naval Hospital Guam April 9 (local date) died of COVID-related complications on April 13,” the statement said.

The sailor, whose name is being withheld until his family is notified, tested positive on March 30 and was removed from the ship. He was placed in isolation at Naval Base Guam with four other sailors from the Roosevelt, the Navy added.

At least 585 sailors from the ship have tested positive for COVID-19 after an outbreak aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier sparked a controversy that prompted Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly to resign from his post.

The outbreak was first made public when an email written by the ship's captain, Brett Crozier was leaked to the media.

The email warned of an outbreak among the crew and said there was an urgent need to quarantine affected sailors.

Last Thursday, Modly announced that he removed Crozier from his post, saying the captain improperly sent the email about his concerns, using channels that were not secure to convey confidential information.

Modly himself later resigned after coming under fire for removing the captain and calling him "stupid" for sounding the alarm about the COVID-19 outbreak aboard the aircraft carrier.