Two Usn Cvns Out Of Action In Western Pacific

[Ken Estes]

https://www.npr.org/2020/03/26/822073134/coronavirus-diverts-u-s-aircraft-carrier-from-mission-in-western-pacific

 

https://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/report-two-yokosuka-sailors-who-tested-positive-for-coronavirus-are-assigned-to-uss-ronald-reagan-1.624166

 

USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Ronald Reagan are port-bound by onboard outbreaks of the Corona Virus. The first may have the ignominious fame of being KO'd by its port call at Da Nang, Vietnam, leaving the Chinese Navy very jealous? Did the Vietnamese deploy Corona infected hookers to the port?

 

The RR is homeported in Japan, so it may be less controversial. In any event, there are no longer any USN CVNs on station in the theater.

[DougRichards]

This has strange echoes of the TV Series The Last Ship.

[JasonJ]

There are two confirmed cases of the Wuhan virus in the JSDF. The first one a member of the Joint Chief Staff was confirmed on March 13th after coming back to Japan from attending a conference in France.

 

防衛省はフランスの会議に出席していた統合幕僚監部の男性自衛隊員が13日に日本に帰国後、新型コロナウイルスに感染していたことが分かりました。男性隊員に症状はありません。会議の関係者に感染者が出たことから発覚したということです。自衛隊で感染者が出たのは初めてだということです。

https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp/news_politics/articles/amp/000178999.html

 

The second one of the JGSDF in his 20s just today based in Akita prefecture.

 

秋田駐屯地の陸上自衛隊員が新型コロナ感染

3月30日発表、自衛隊員の感染確認は2人目

https://www.fukuishimbun.co.jp/articles/-/1058133

Edited March 30, 2020 by JasonJ

[JasonJ]

The Wuhan virus situation around Yokosuka port where USS Ronald Reagan is homeported, Tokyo has seen a spike of confirmed cases and seems to be tetering on the edge of an uncrollable spike. Total confirmed cases are at about 400 but the last 250 were confirmed within the last few days. Tokyo urged self restraint and declared the situation in a critical phase just shy of cases exploding like how it has happened in other countries. Its been urged that for the past weekend that people stay home unless absolutely necessary. And the surrounding prefectures urged its people to avoid going to Tokyo over the past weekend. As for Kanagawa prefecture where Yokosuka is at, confirmed cases are at just above 100. At the other end, Chiba prefecture which was crusing for awhile with very few cases, jumped a bit recently to about 130 confirmed cases.

 

So the message is that young US personnel stationed should stay at base and play video games for the time being.

[Burncycle360]

The brothel gets a carrier painted outside it's door as a kill mark

[Nobu]

That must have been some party.

[JasonJ]

USN wants to isolate nearly the entire crew of USS Theodore Roosevelt and off the carrier. Limited space in the carrier worsens the Wuhan virus situation. There's around 150-200 infected as of now. Among the crew infected, 7 were at first tested negative but developed symptoms 1-3 days after the their test.

WASHINGTON — The captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt has requested permission to remove most of the aircraft carrier’s crew from the ship and isolate roughly 4,000 sailors to help curtail a coronavirus outbreak aboard the vessel.

 

Capt. Brett Crozier wrote in an unaddressed letter Monday to Navy leadership that the ship’s environment is “most conducive to spread of the disease” with open shared sleeping areas, shared restrooms and workspaces, and confined passageways to move through on the ship. He wrote the Roosevelt’s crew is unable to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or Navy procedures to protect the health of sailors through individual isolation on the ship for 14 or more days.

 

“Due to a warship's inherent limitations of space, we are not doing this. The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating,” Crozier wrote.

 

Now docked in Guam, the Roosevelt was on a scheduled deployment in the Indo-Pacific region before diverting to the island after the first several virus cases aboard the ship were reported last week.

 

The number of cases on the Roosevelt now is between 150 and 200 sailors, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report citing a senior officer on the aircraft carrier. Crozier’s letter was first reported by the Chronicle.

 

A Navy official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to Stars and Stripes about the issues raised in the letter, said Crozier had alerted leadership in U.S. Pacific Fleet on Sunday evening about ongoing challenges with stopping the spread of the coronavirus and requesting to have more of the crew in better isolation facilities.

 

“Navy leadership is moving quickly to take all necessary measures to ensure the health and safety of the crew of USS Theodore Roosevelt, and is pursuing options to address the concerns raised by the commanding officer,” the official said.

 

None of the sailors infected on the Roosevelt are in critical condition or on ventilators, Adm. John Aquilino, the commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, told reporters Tuesday during a phone conference. He would not say how long the ship would stay in Guam or how many positive cases there are on the ship.

 

Aircraft carriers are central in the Defense Department’s shift in focus from fighting terrorism in the Middle East to a return to "great-power competition." In the Pacific, that means a larger focus on China, including its militarization of disputed areas of the South China Sea

 

Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly announced Thursday that the Roosevelt was in the process of testing 100% of the crew after more cases were found and more test kits were being flown to the ship.

 

Crozier wrote in his letter that a focus on testing does not stop the spread, it only proves that a sailor has the virus. Of the first 33 sailors who were found positive on the Roosevelt, seven of them tested negative and then presented symptoms within one to three days after the test, he wrote.

 

Crozier also pointed to a research article about the commercial cruise ship Diamond Princess that states if the passengers had been evacuated early, only 76 would have been infected instead of the 619 people who eventually were.

 

The cruise ship was able to isolate people more effectively than the Roosevelt can, and they still had hundreds of infections, he wrote. The Roosevelt’s “best-case results, given the current environment, are likely to be much worse,” he wrote.

 

Crozier requested the Navy use all available resources to find quarantine rooms for the entire crew as soon as possible.

 

However, the plan for the Roosevelt has never been to take everyone off the ship because of what is required to maintain and secure it, Aquilino said.

 

 

https://www.stripes.com/news/navy/captain-of-uss-theodore-roosevelt-requests-nearly-4-000-sailors-be-isolated-as-coronavirus-spreads-1.624395

[Nobu]

Source aside, good on the Captain for putting his people before his career.

 

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Exclusive-Captain-of-aircraft-carrier-with-15167883.php

 

Edited April 1, 2020 by Nobu

[Nobu]

The Navy may be interested harvesting data in this instance before allowing the Captain to have his way.

[Rick]

Had a similar problem aboard the U.S.S. Saipan almost 40 years ago. Had a gastrointestinal viral infection run through the, afaik, the entire Marine contingent and most of the ship's crew. Wasn't as virulent as this Chinese virus, and was resolved with bed rest and water as tolerated. The ship just sailed around the Med.(Mediterranean Sea) until it was over.

Side point to Burncycle's post above. I'm pretty sure the multiple brothels in Recife, Brazil over 40 years ago had silhouette's of the U.S.S. Fairfax County painted on their doors. And windows. And walls. And, well ...

The Sick Call line was approaching about half the chow line in length and you may be surprised on how many boxes of antibiotics the U.S. can supply to an L.S.T. at sea.

[seahawk]

The crew is a perfect study group. How many have been infected with no symptoms, how many show light symptoms, how many medium and how many strong.

[RETAC21]

Had a similar problem aboard the U.S.S. Saipan almost 40 years ago. Had a gastrointestinal viral infection run through the, afaik, the entire Marine contingent and most of the ship's crew. Wasn't as virulent as this Chinese virus, and was resolved with bed rest and water as tolerated. The ship just sailed around the Med.(Mediterranean Sea) until it was over.

Side point to Burncycle's post above. I'm pretty sure the multiple brothels in Recife, Brazil over 40 years ago had silhouette's of the U.S.S. Fairfax County painted on their doors. And windows. And walls. And, well ...

The Sick Call line was approaching about half the chow line in length and you may be surprised on how many boxes of antibiotics the U.S. can supply to an L.S.T. at sea.

 

Apparently Recife was the place to be, hust finished reading the memoirs of a retired Admiral and he dropped by Recife twice, first in the early 50s and then in 68. Coming from the (at the time) ultracatholic Spain he was otraged in the 50s as the whole city seemed to live off prostitution. When he went back in the late 60s as captain of a frigate, he put in uncertain terms to the crew that they would be castrated if they caught any STD. 6 valiant souls still managed to get "something"

[Rick]

 

Had a similar problem aboard the U.S.S. Saipan almost 40 years ago. Had a gastrointestinal viral infection run through the, afaik, the entire Marine contingent and most of the ship's crew. Wasn't as virulent as this Chinese virus, and was resolved with bed rest and water as tolerated. The ship just sailed around the Med.(Mediterranean Sea) until it was over.

Side point to Burncycle's post above. I'm pretty sure the multiple brothels in Recife, Brazil over 40 years ago had silhouette's of the U.S.S. Fairfax County painted on their doors. And windows. And walls. And, well ...

The Sick Call line was approaching about half the chow line in length and you may be surprised on how many boxes of antibiotics the U.S. can supply to an L.S.T. at sea.

 

Apparently Recife was the place to be, hust finished reading the memoirs of a retired Admiral and he dropped by Recife twice, first in the early 50s and then in 68. Coming from the (at the time) ultracatholic Spain he was otraged in the 50s as the whole city seemed to live off prostitution. When he went back in the late 60s as captain of a frigate, he put in uncertain terms to the crew that they would be castrated if they caught any STD. 6 valiant souls still managed to get "something"

 

From memory, I believe a few unfortunate individuals were "biologically castrated" eventually.

[Nobu]

6 valiant souls still managed to get "something"

 

The begrudging respect of their captain, possibly.

[Rick]

6 valiant souls still managed to get "something"

 

The begrudging respect of their captain, possibly.

This brings back Corpsman school memories https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Return_of_Count_Spirochete,_(1973).webm

[Steven P Allen]

Looks like the Capt. has been relieved, citing good order and discipline, because there is reason to bleieve he leaked the letter to the press.

[Manic Moran]

No, SecNav is citing poor judgement resulting in loss of confidence.

 

25 minute brief with him and CNO. https://www.facebook.com/MyNAVYHR/videos/2480254398956895/?hc_location=ufi

[RETAC21]

No, SecNav is citing poor judgement resulting in loss of confidence.

 

25 minute brief with him and CNO. https://www.facebook.com/MyNAVYHR/videos/2480254398956895/?hc_location=ufi

 

Usual for relieving COs that have embarrased the line of command but not something criminal

[Steven P Allen]

No, SecNav is citing poor judgement resulting in loss of confidence.

 

25 minute brief with him and CNO. https://www.facebook.com/MyNAVYHR/videos/2480254398956895/?hc_location=ufi

Serves me right for trusting the source.

[Ken Estes]

 

No, SecNav is citing poor judgement resulting in loss of confidence.

 

25 minute brief with him and CNO. https://www.facebook.com/MyNAVYHR/videos/2480254398956895/?hc_location=ufi

 

Usual for relieving COs that have embarrassed the line of command but not something criminal

 

 

Exactly. San Francisco Chronicle published his letter along with analysis yesterday. You can download it as a pdf. Captain was very brave, and took it for the team. USN is once again shown as lightning fast to relieve the commanders, but painfully slow to fix its problems. This one will take some time [offloading crew, decontaminating ship, with very limited port facilities. The other afflicted CVN is in a proper base/shipyard complex in Japan.

 

This is merely tip of the iceberg for the armed forces of most countries.

[Ken Estes]

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY

USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN 71)

UNIT 100250 Box 1

FPO AP 96632

30 Mar 20

Subj: REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE IN RESPONSE TO PANDEMIC

BLUF: If required the USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT would embark all assigned Sailors, set

sail, and be ready to ?ght and beat any adversary that dares challenge the US or our allies. The

virus would certainly have an impact, but in combat we are willing to take certain risks that are

not acceptable in peacetime. However, we are not at war, and therefore cannot allow a single

Sailor to perish as a result of this pandemic unnecessarily. Decisive action is required now in

order to comply with CDC and NAVADMIN 083/20 guidance and prevent tragic outcomes.

1. Problem Statement. With the crew embarked, TR is unable to comply with CDC protocols or

NAVADMIN 083/20 guidance. Based on CDC guidelines and TR observations, the only

effective method to preserve an individual?s health is total isolation for 14+ days in accordance

with the NAVADMIN Individual hotel/barracks rooms with separate heads). Due to a

warship's inherent limitations of space, we are not doing this. The spread of the disease is

ongoing and accelerating.

2. Inappropriate Focus on Testing. Testing has no direct influence on the spread of the COVID-

l9 virus. It merely confirms the presence of the virus. Due to the close quarters required on a

warship and the current number of positive cases, every single Sailor, regardless of rank, on

board the TR must be considered ?close contact? in accordance with the NAVADMIN. Testing

will only be useful as the ship returns to work a?er isolation or quarantine to con?rm the

effectiveness of the quarantine period. Our focus now must be on quarantine and isolation in

strict compliance with CDC and NAVADMIN guidance.

The COVID-19 test cannot prove a Sailor does not have the virus; it can only prove that a Sailor

does. As an illustration, of the first 33 TR Sailors diagnosed with COVID-19, 21% (7 of those

33) infected Sailors were negative on a test, then subsequently presented with symptoms

of COVID-19 infection within 1-3 days post-test.

Based on data since ?rst case, approximately 21% of the Sailors that tested negative and

are currently moving into group restricted movement ashore are currently infected, will develop

over the next several days, and will proceed to infect the remainder of their shore-

based restricted group.

3. Inappropriate Quarantine and Isolation. With the exceptions of a handful of senior officer

staterooms, none of the berthing onboard a warship is appropriate for quarantine or isolation.

Thousands of "close contact" Sailors require quarantine in accordance with guidance. TR has

begun to move personnel off ship into shore-based group restricted movement locations. Of the

off ship locations currently available, only one complies with the NAVADMIN guidance.

Infected Sailors reside in these off ship locations. Two Sailors have already tested positive in an

«

Page 1 of 4

open bay gymnasium equipped with cots. Although marginally better than a warship, group

quarantine sites are not a solution and are not in accordance with current guidance.

In order to stop the spread of the virus, the CDC and the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health

Center both recommend individual quarantine. They both recommend against group quarantine.

They recommend limited or no contact with other exposed individuals and no use of the same

facilities or items exposed individuals have touched. NAVADMIN 083/20 echoes this guidance.

The environment most conducive to spread of the disease is the environment the crew of the TR

is in right now, both aboard ship and ashore:

a. Large amounts of Sailors in a confined space

b. Open, shared berthing

c. Shared restroom facilities

d. Confined, shared workspaces and computers

e. Shared messing for large numbers

f. Meals cooked food provided by exposed personnel

g. Mandatory watch/operational tasks demanding consistent close contact (food

preparation, service cleaning, TFCC watches, unavoidable meetings to plan

execute COVID response actions, etc.)

h. Movement about the ship requires consistent close contact with other exposed

individuals (confined passageways, previously touched ladder railings/hatch

levers/door knobs etc.)

4. Ineffectiveness of Current Strategy: Based on current limitations (lack of appropriate

quarantine and isolation facilities, inability to effectively achieve social distancing), TR has

instituted limited measures to slow the spread of the disease. We have moved a small percentage

of the crew off ship, increased the frequency of thorough cleaning and attempted some social

distancing. The current strategy will only slow the spread. The current plan in execution on TR

will not achieve virus eradication on any timeline.

5. Lessons Learned from the Diamond Princess: From an epidemiological research article on the infection onboard Diamond Princess (the only comparable situation encountered thus far) (Roklov et a1.) titled "COVID outbreak on the Diamond Princess cruise ship:

estimating the epidemic potential and effectiveness of public health countenneasures:"

"Cruise ships carry a large number of people in con?ned spaces with relative homogeneous mixing. On 3 February, 2020, an outbreak of COVID-19 on cruise ship Diamond Princess was reported following an index case on board around 21-25 January. By 4 February, public health

«

Page 2 of 4

Subj: REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE IN RESPONSE TO PANDEMIC

measures such as removal and isolation of ill passengers and quarantine of non-ill passengers were implemented. By 20 February, 619 of 3,700 passengers and crew (17%) were tested positive. We estimated that without any interventions within the time period of 21 January to 19

February, 2920 out of the 3700 would have been infected. Isolation and quarantine therefore prevented 2307 cases. We showed that an early evacuation of all passengers on 3 February would have been associated with 76 infected persons." (As opposed to 619)

The final sentence of the abstract:

"Conclusions: The cruise ship conditions clearly amplified an already highly transmissible disease. The public health measures prevented more than 2000 additional cases compared to no interventions. However, evacuating all passengers and crew early on in the outbreak would have prevented many more passengers and crew from infection."

The Diamond Princess was able to more effectively isolate people onboard than TR, due to a much higher percentage of individualized and compartmentalized accommodations onboard for paying customers. Their measures still allowed hundreds of people to become infected. TR's best-case results, given the current environment, are likely to be much worse.

6. Pronosed New Strategy: There are two end states TR could achieve:

a. Maximize warfighting readiness and capacity as quickly as possible. No timeline necessary. We go to war with the force we have and fight sick. We never achieve a COVID-free TR. There will be losses to the virus.

b. Achieve a COVID-free TR. Requires strict adherence to CDC guidelines and a methodical approach to achieve a clean ship. This requires immediate and decisive action. It will take time and money.

As war is not imminent, we recommend pursuing the peace time end state.

TR has two primary goals in order to achieve that end state:

a. Prevent unnecessary deaths, reduce the number of Sailors that contract COVID-19 and eliminate future virus spread.

b. Regain and maximize war?ghting readiness and capacity as quickly as possible.

In order to achieve these goals, a clean ship is required. Every Sailor onboard must be guaranteed virus-free and the ship environment must be disinfected. One infected Sailor introduced to the ship will spread the virus. Off ship lodging in compliance with CDC and

NAVADMIN guidance is required for over 4,000 Sailors to achieve a clean ship and crew.

7. Conclusion. Decisive action is required. Removing the majority of personnel from a deployed US. nuclear aircraft carrier and isolating them for two weeks may seem like an extraordinary measure. A portion of the crew (approximately 10%) would have to stay aboard to

«

Page 3 of 4

Subj: REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC

run the reactor plant, sanitize the ship, ensure security, and provide for contingency response to

emergencies. This is a necessary risk. It will enable the carrier and air wing to get back

underway as quickly as possible while ensuring the health and safety of our Sailors. Keeping

over 4,000 young men and women on board the TR is an unnecessary risk and breaks faith with those Sailors entrusted to our care.

There are challenges associated with securing individualized lodging for our crew. This will

require a political solution but it is the right thing to do. 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.

Request all available resources to find NAVADMIN and CDC compliant quarantine rooms for my entire crew as soon as possible.

B. E. CROZIER

Page 4 of 4

[R011]

I have heard that TR was not an especially well disciplined ship and the captain something of a prima Donna. I don't know how accurate that is.

[Burncycle360]

Having watched the press briefing, Modly admits that he doesn't know who leaked the document which was presumably the catalyst for the whole thing. Had it not been leaked, they could have kept it under wraps and quietly ignored it. This was a public display of dominance and subtle threat to other COs that while the Navy is rotting from the inside, anyone that threatens to expose how thin the veneer really is won't last long.


Considering the strike group commander was down the hall and wasn't the one making the push, there may have been some bad blood there and he felt that was the only way action would be taken. I'm cynical enough to believe that this would have gotten a lot worse before the Navy decided to offload the carrier had there not been this public exposure. In the end, the Navy claims they were going to do it this early all along, which is probably bullshit, but that's how it goes. Honor, Courage, Commitment.

Edited April 3, 2020 by Burncycle360

[Ken Estes]

I agree, an admiral was on board and likely didn't want his flag captain making a fuss. So he, the captain, jumped the chain of command with an 'attention world'. The chain doesn't like such things.....

See below. There is, of course, no such thing as 'redemption' unless you are Capt Dreyfus.

The govt has botched every other element of responding to CoVID19, so why not this, a CVN far away, nothing to be seen, move along....

WASHINGTON — Even as he is hailed as a hero by his crew, the fired commander of a coronavirus-stricken U.S. aircraft carrier is being reassigned while investigators consider whether he should face disciplinary action, acting U.S. Navy Secretary Thomas Modly told Reuters on Friday.

Captain Brett Crozier was relieved of his command of the Theodore Roosevelt on Thursday after a scathing letter in which he called on the Navy for stronger action to halt the spread of the virus aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was leaked to the media.

Modly said in an interview that the letter was shared too widely and leaked before even he could see it.But the backlash to Modly’s decision to fire Crozier has been intense. In videos posted online, sailors on the Theodore Roosevelt applauded Crozier and hailed him as a hero, out to defend his crew – even at great personal cost to his career.

“And that’s how you send out one of the greatest captains you ever had,” exclaimed one sailor in a video post, amid thunderous applause and cheering for Crozier as he left the carrier and its 5,000 crew members in Guam.

Modly did not suggest that Crozier’s career was over, saying he thought everyone deserved a chance at “redemption.”

https://nationalpost.com/news/world/covid-19-dismissed-u-s-carrier-captain-gets-heros-ovation-after-speaking-out-on-virus-fears

[Ken Estes]

I have heard that TR was not an especially well disciplined ship and the captain something of a prima Donna. I don't know how accurate that is.

 

Kinda goes with the turf, a CV skipper is already a seasoned aviator, so as they are inclined to say, "How'm I doin' so far!?'

 

Usually the carrier XO is the 'bad cop'