USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) Prepares to Return to Sea as Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier embark the ship
NOTE:
Operations Adm. Michael Gilday, wants a “deeper review” to address unanswered questions as to whether Captaincies Brett Crozier should be reinstated.
“Therefore, I am directing Adm. Gilday to conduct a follow-on command investigation,” McPherson says in an emailed statement to NPR. “This investigation will build on the good work of the initial inquiry to provide a more fulsome understanding of the sequence of events, actions, and decisions of the chain of command surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt.”
Hundreds of Sailors began the transition from quarantine and isolation to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) April 29, as the ship prepares to return to sea after a bow-to-stern deep cleaning process.
More than 4,000 Sailors who tested negative for COVID-19 have been in quarantine in hotels off base. It will take several days to move all of these Sailors back onboard.
After the ship’s arrival to Guam on March 27, approximately 700 Sailors remained on board to maintain critical ongoing operations and begin the cleaning. Since then, the ship underwent an aggressive, multi-pronged cleaning regimen, which balanced effective decontamination with protecting the ship’s critical systems. Spaces were vacated for seven days – four days longer than the minimum recommended by the Centers for Disease Control – before being thoroughly disinfected. For spaces that were continuously operational, Sailors cleaned the area before leaving it, while the incoming Sailors cleaned it immediately upon arrival.
Meanwhile, Commander 7th Fleet, Joint Region Marianas, U.S. Naval Hospital Guam, Naval Base Guam and the government of Guam coordinated to isolate and quarantine the ship’s Sailors in phases, in accordance with recommended Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) standards.
“Our mission is to make sure the fighting force in the fleet is ready to go at all times,” said Capt. Maria Young, commanding officer, U.S. Naval Hospital Guam. “I appreciated the Sailors’ patience throughout this whole process, as we worked with one another to maintain the health and readiness of the crew and to get the Roosevelt back to sea. We are happy to help.”
VIDEO ABOVE: NAVAL BASE GUAM (April 29, 2020) Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) embark the ship after weeks of cleaning and essential watch standing. Thousands of Sailors from Theodore Roosevelt were moved to local hotels in an effort to implement an aggressive mitigation strategy to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of the Sailors. Theodore Roosevelt’s essential watchstanders and cleaning team conducted a crew swap on April 29, turning over a clean ship to a COVID negative crew after the completion of their off-ship quarantine or isolation. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Staff Sgt. Jordan E. Gilbert)
ABOVE: TUMON, Guam (April 21, 2020) U.S. Marines with 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, maintain local hotels in support of Sailors with the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Theodore Roosevelt is currently docked at Naval Base Guam where Sailors from the ship are practicing social distancing and following other guidelines from the CDC, U.S. Navy and the Governor of Guam as part of COVID-19 mitigation efforts during a scheduled deployment to the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Jordan E. Gilbert)