Sailor on U.S. carrier dies of COVID-19

An outbreak aboard the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt exploded into public view when the commander wrote to his superiors begging for help to combat the illness and embarrassing navy leadership.

Now, a sailor has died of the illness.

This report produced by Zachary Goelman.

A U.S. Navy sailor died on Monday after contracting COVID-19, marking the first death aboard the U.S.S.

Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier which had a coronavirus outbreak on board, sickening hundreds.

So far, about 585 sailers on board the nuclear-powered carrier - including its former commander - have tested positive.

The outbreak led to an extraordinary public crisis in Navy leadership after the ship's commander, Captain Brett Crozier, penned a four-page letter pleading for stronger measures to protect the crew.

The letter embarrassed the Navy… (SOUNDBITE) (English) THOMAS MODLY, ACTING U.S. NAVY SECRETARY, SAYING (APRIL 2): "Today at my direction, the commanding officer of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, Captain Brett Crosier, was relieved of command." … and the acting secretary of the Navy at the time, Tomas Modly, relieved Crozier of command after his letter leaked.

Even President Donald Trump derided Crozier over the affair.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING (APRIL 4): “I thought it was terrible what he did, to write a letter, I mean, this isn't a class on literature, this is captain of a massive ship that's nuclear powered.

And he shouldn't be talking that way in a letter.” But Crozier’s termination stirred a rousing response from the crew, who gave their captain a hero’s send-off.

Modly then further fanned frustrations by flying out to the naval base in Guam, where the boat had docked, to castigate Crozier, calling the former commander, "stupid" or "naïve.” Modly resigned last week amid mounting pressure over his handling of the situation aboard the U.S. Theodore Roosevelt.

This marks the first coronavirus death of a sailor in the Navy, which so far has had almost 900 sailors test positive for the illness.

The sailor is also the first active-duty service member to die from COVID-19.