Coronavirus: US sailor dies after outbreak on ship whose captain was sacked for raising alarm

Captain Brett Crozier's leaked memo says not evacuating the USS Theodore Roosevelt will cost lives

A sailor who tested positive for Coivd-19 has died after contracting the virus while aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the US Navy said in a statement.

The Navy sailor tested positive for the virus on 30 March and was then taken off the ship on 9 April and placed in the ICU at the US Naval Hospital Guam.

Nearly 600 sailors on the ship have tested positive for the virus and 92 per cent of crew members have received tests, the US Navy added.

An additional four sailors have been taken to the hospital for the virus, according to CNN.

"Over the weekend, four additional Theodore Roosevelt Sailors were admitted to the hospital for monitoring. All are in stable condition, none are in ICU or on ventilators," a Navy official told the news site.

Among those who have tested positive for the coronavirus from the USS Theodore Roosevelt reportedly include the ship's ousted captain Brett Crozier, who was dismissed of his duties after a memo leaked from the man imploring US Navy officials to evacuate crew members.

In the memo, Mr Crozier said "decisive action is required" to remove a majority of sailors and personnel from the ship because "the spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating."

The memo was sent on the day the deceased sailor tested positive for Covid-19 and later leaked in the San Francisco Chronicle.

“We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die. If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset - our Sailors," he wrote.

Then-acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly said Mr Crozier went outside the chain of command by not bringing his concerns to his direct superiors. Instead, the letter was sent on an unclassified email system to 20 to 30 individuals.

Widespread criticism of Mr Modley dismissing the ship's captain over the letter and then subsequently criticising Mr Crozier to his crew encouraged the secretary to resign last week.

An investigation into the situation was ongoing, but Secretary of Defence Mark Esper told CBS News on Friday reinstating Mr Crozier, who has quarantined himself since stepping off the USS Theodore Roosevelt, was not off the table.

"When I replaced the acting Navy secretary three days ago, I called him and the chief of naval operations into my office. I gave them some guidance. One of the things I told them is this: No further action will be taken against Captain Crozier until the investigation is completed, and once that's completed, we'll see where that takes us," Mr Esper said.

"So we've taken nothing off the table," he added.

The Navy captain has been reassigned to the Naval Air Forces Pacific command in San Diego once he completes his quarantine period.

The name of the deceased sailor from the USS Theodore Roosevelt has been withheld until next-of-kin is informed.