The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, was detected on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in March 2020 while she was at sea.

The captain, Brett Crozier, wanted most of the crew to be removed from the ship to prevent the spread of the disease, but his superiors were reluctant.

After several days Crozier e-mailed three of his superior officers and seven other Navy Captains, outlining a plan for the ship to be largely evacuated because the virus could not be contained on board.

In spring 2020, the United States Navy aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt was on deployment in the Pacific.

[24] However, this account was disputed by writers for the Washington Post because Crozier had addressed and sent the letter directly to his superior, Admiral Baker.

[36] The Navy temporarily suspended post-quarantine testing and extended the sailors' isolation, delaying plans to begin moves of the crew back to the carrier.

The Navy stopped publicly reporting tallies of new coronavirus cases on USS Theodore Roosevelt.

Rear Adm. Stuart P. Baker, who was the commanding officer of Carrier Strike Group 9 and thus Crozier's immediate superior, disagreed, feeling such an action was impractical and too drastic.

[10] On 30 March, Crozier sent an email to communicate the status of his ship and her crew, saying it was not possible to observe CDC/Navy[44] recommendations for individual quarantine or social distancing aboard the carrier.

[20] On 2 April, acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly relieved Crozier of his command for sending the request for assistance over non-secure email to a "broad array of people" rather than up the chain of command, adding that Crozier "allowed the complexity of the challenge of the COVID breakout on the ship to overwhelm his ability to act professionally".

A Wall Street Journal story reported that on "Capitol Hill and inside the Pentagon, lawmakers and officials reacted with confusion and anger over the dismissal" of Crozier.

[50] A joint statement from four Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee, including the committee chair, Representative Adam Smith (D-WA), criticized Crozier's conduct, saying that "Captain Crozier was justifiably concerned about the health and safety of his crew, but he did not handle the immense pressure appropriately.

"[52] Modly, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Gilday each defended the decision to remove Crozier,[53][54] although Gilday and Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had earlier advised Modly not to do it until a Navy investigation into the matter had been completed.

[53] On 6 April Modly traveled 8,000 miles (13,000 km)[26] to Guam on a Navy executive jet; the trip was later reported to have cost taxpayers at least $243,000.

He continued by criticizing Crozier as "too naïve or too stupid to be a commanding officer" if he did not realize that his letter would be leaked to the media.

Senator Tim Kaine stated, "It's deeply disappointing that he would deliver a speech on board a U.S. aircraft carrier suggesting that Captain Crozier might be 'stupid'.

[59] Representative Jackie Speier, chairperson of the Armed Services Committee's panel on military personnel, also criticized the trip.

[63] In June 2020, ADM R. Burke, Vice Chief of Naval Operations at the Department of the Navy, released the results of his investigation concerning the chain of command actions with regard to COVID-19 onboard USS Theodore Roosevelt.

As a review of the investigation results, Burke determined that "reassigning CAPT Crozier as the Commanding Officer (CO) of the USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN 71) is not in the best interest of Navy."

Burke continues his preliminary statement, stating, "It is clear to me following this investigation, CAPT Crozier did not act according to the standards I expect of our commanding officers-to adapt in the face of adversity, exercise ingenuity and creativity in crisis, demonstrate resilience, communicate effectively up the chain of command, and to take bold and appropriate action early and often.

His actions and inactions in the timeframe before sending the email fell well short of what I expect from our officers in command.