The U.S. Navy<\/a> on Friday upheld the firing of Capt. Brett E. Crozier<\/a>, who was relieved of his command aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt after a letter he wrote pleading for help for his coronavirus-stricken crew was leaked to the media.<\/p>\n

The former commanding officer of the coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier was more focused on the comfort of his crew than their safety, the chief of naval operations said.<\/p>\n

Capt. Crozier<\/a> was fired in April after a letter he wrote complaining about the conditions aboard his ship, warning that the situation on his vessel was dire and that sailors would likely die without a stronger response, was leaked to the press.<\/p>\n

Navy Chief of Operations Michael Gilday<\/a>, who briefed reporters at the Pentagon about the results of the two-month naval investigation, said the letter was not the reason for his decision to uphold the firing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe place a great amount of trust and confidence in our commanding officers and rely on them to manage risk, make decisions and to communicate openly and honestly with their chain of command \u2014 especially in a crisis,\u201d Adm. Gilday<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

Capt. Crozier<\/a> is now at a desk job in San Diego. He is not eligible for further command, Adm. Gilday<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

Rear Adm. Stuart Baker, commander of the carrier strike group and Capt. Crozier<\/a>\u2019s immediate superior, also was faulted for his role in the incident. Adm. Gilday<\/a> said his promotion to two-star admiral has been put on hold.<\/p>\n

Adm. Gilday<\/a> said there seemed to be a \u201cparalysis\u201d in the command team aboard the ship. The moves effectively cut short the careers of both men.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen obstacles arose, both failed to tackle the problem head-on and to take charge,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Navy investigation found that Capt. Crozier<\/a> mismanaged the initial outbreak on the ship. Some of his decisions may have added to the spread of the virus, Adm. Gilday<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were slow egressing sailors off the ship. They failed to move sailors to available, safer environments quickly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In a statement later Friday, Pentagon officials said Defense Secretary Mark Esper stands firmly behind the Navy\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe secretary of the Navy briefed Secretary Esper earlier today on the findings of the investigation into the USS Theodore Roosevelt COVID response,\u201d said Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman. \u201cSecretary Esper believes the investigation to have been thorough and fair and supports the Navy\u2019s decisions based on their findings. We are proud of the crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt and am glad that they are back at sea in the western Pacific projecting American power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Navy officials said the coronavirus likely came aboard the ship during a scheduled visit to the port of Da Nang in Vietnam. But they have yet to identify a \u201cPatient Zero.\u201d<\/p>\n

The three-star commander of the Navy\u2019s 7th Fleet told Capt. Crozier<\/a> to devise a plan to get the crew off the ship once it pulled into Guam. Adm. Gilday<\/a> said he didn\u2019t receive it until the day Capt. Crozier<\/a> was relieved, about a week into the stop on the island.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was not impressed with the slow egress off the ship,\u201d he said. \u201cBoth Adm. Baker and Capt. Crozier<\/a> fell well short of what we expect of those in command.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was fired by former acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly, who himself resigned days after flying to Guam and giving a profanity-laced speech to the crew aboard through the public address system, during which he lambasted their former commander.<\/p>\n

When Capt. Crozier<\/a> sent his emotional letter asking for help with the outbreak, discussions were already well underway between the Navy and local officials in Guam.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he hit \u2018send\u2019 on that email, six hours before, the governor of Guam had already agreed to allow us to use hotel rooms,\u201d Adm. Gilday<\/a> said. \u201cHe felt we weren\u2019t moving fast enough but those wheels were already in motion.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said Navy officials in Guam had \u201cmoved mountains\u201d to find safer spaces for the crew even before the hotels were pressed into service. But Capt. Crozier<\/a> apparently wasn\u2019t satisfied with their efforts, officials said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough it wasn\u2019t individual rooms, it was the best that we had,\u201d Adm. Gilday<\/a> said. \u201cThey were placed six feet apart and 72 square feet were allocated for each sailor.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said vacant housing and barracks on base also were ready to house the sailors.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the day that Crozier<\/a> sent the email, there were 700 beds unfilled,\u201d Adm. Gilday<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

About 1,200 sailors aboard the ship eventually tested positive for the coronavirus.<\/p>\n

Adm. Gilday<\/a> also faulted Capt. Crozier<\/a> for a decision to release sailors from quarantine in the rear section of the ship.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt put his crew at higher risk and may have increased the spread of the virus,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

After an initial investigation, Adm. Gilday<\/a> said he thought Capt. Crozier<\/a> should be reinstated to his command. But that changed after the more complete inquiry.<\/p>\n

\u201cHad I known then what I know today, I would not have made that recommendation to reinstate Capt. Crozier<\/a>,\u201d he said. \u201cMoreover, if Capt. Crozier<\/a> was still in command today, I would be relieving him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The USS Theodore Roosevelt returned to sea last month under the command of its new captain.<\/p>\n