Navy officials announced Thursday that Capt. Brett Crozier, commanding officer of the sidelined aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, has been relieved of duty in the wake of a leaked letter he penned pleading for U.S. intervention to stifle a COVID-19 outbreak on the 4,800-person ship.
The ship’s executive officer, Capt. Dan Keeler, has assumed temporary command until the arrival of Rear Adm. Select Carlos Sardiello, who previously commanded the Roosevelt and is currently en route to Guam, the Pentagon announced.
Cozier’s letter, which was first published by the San Francisco Chronicle, was reportedly sent up the captain’s immediate chain of command in an email that also included “20 or 30” people, acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly told reporters Thursday.