U.S. sailor from coronavirus-hit aircraft carrier dies after contracting virus

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy sailor died on Monday after contracting the coronavirus, marking the first death of a sailor assigned to the coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt.

Late last month the captain of the aircraft carrier, in a blunt letter, called on Navy leadership for stronger measures to save the lives of his sailors and stop the spread of the coronavirus aboard the huge ship.

"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," Captain Brett Crozier wrote.

So far, about 585 sailors aboard the nuclear-powered carrier have tested positive for the coronavirus. About 4,000 sailors have been moved from the carrier to facilities in Guam, where the ship has been docked after the number of cases started increasing.

That letter, which was obtained by a number of news outlets, set in motion a series of events that led to Crozier's firing and the resignation last week of acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly.

Modly's resignation followed mounting backlash for his firing and ridiculing Crozier.

The sailor, who had been admitted to an intensive care unit in Guam last week, died from coronavirus-related complications, the Navy said in a statement.

This marks the first death of a sailor in the Navy, which so far has had almost 900 sailors test positive for the virus.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Steve Orlofsky)