Exclusive: Navy commander says virus-struck aircraft carrier crew ‘struggling’ after captain’s firing

Stress and anger

Merz repeatedly described the crew as capable and performing well, but clearly in an unprecedented state after the virus hit and their commanding officer, or CO, was abruptly relieved of duty.

The carrier crew was “struggling in the wake of losing their CO and their perception of the lack of activity regarding fighting the virus,” Merz said.

Merz suggested that the crew did not appear to have been given a comprehensive and clear sense of the various steps the Navy was taking to help the Roosevelt deal with the virus outbreak onboard. That lack of information may have caused some stress, he suggested, feeding the very visible anger many crew members displayed when Modly visited the ship and addressed them about Crozier’s dismissal.

“I think we could have told them earlier what we knew” about the virus Merz said. “The degree of accuracy against the virus at any level is a little sketchy, but I think we could have at least bought them in earlier and started having this dialog up front.”

“The specific questions clearly indicated we needed to give them more information about the true dangers of the virus” and how the Navy was handling aboard the ship, he said.

“I certainly don’t think it was malice by the ship or the leadership” he said. “I think it was just a matter of getting their arm around what they could and could not tell them.”

Merz said that once he began to answer the crew’s questions in detail, he saw anxiety ease and questions turn more toward issues such as getting back out to sea.

Many sailors told Merz they were still worried about the fate of their former commanding officer.

An ongoing investigation

“I got very specific questions about whether there would be UCMJ against their captain,” Merz said, adding that he told them it is unlikely because Crozier was relieved over his judgment in widely distributing his views, rather than being relieved for a potential crime.

Merz was aware his visit to the ship provided a relief valve for the crew to talk to a senior officer about Crozier and a subsequent visit to the ship by Modly, who told the crew Crozier was either “naïve” or “stupid” for distributing his message.

Modly was forced to resign over those comments. Audio of his speech also leaked to media in which he used a profanity and some crew members were heard yelling back at him.

Merz was able to verify Crozier’s immediate superior did not know he was sending the memo in which Crozier had urgently asked Navy leadership to evacuate sailors from the Roosevelt as the virus spread. Noting that, “I was not in his shoes,” Merz offered his own caveated assessment of Crozier’s actions pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation.

“I certainly don’t question his motives. I think his motives were pure. He was looking out for his crew,”Merz said.

But Merz also noted all commanders have “a lot of tools available to be heard,” adding “I am not going to second guess him at this point.”

The investigation could be completed as soon as next week. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he isn’t ruling out the possibility that Crozier could be restored to command.

Currently, 447 of the Roosevelt’s roughly 4,000 crew members, as well as Crozier, have tested positive for the virus. Nearly all the crew has been tested, but nearly 800 are still awaiting results.

“My immediate reaction was our job just got harder for us,” he said.