# Captain of USN Aircraft carrier begs for help as COVID19 ravages ships company. **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [March 31, 2020, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738 "2020-03-31T13:47:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/81 "2020-04-05T23:10:28Z")
[POTUS wanted him fired so he was fired.](https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-wanted-to-fired-the-us-navy-captain-brett-crozier-2020-4) Executive privilege. Nothing new; nothing to see here. Move along now. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/82 "2020-04-05T23:36:24Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > [POTUS wanted him fired so he was fired.](https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-wanted-to-fired-the-us-navy-captain-brett-crozier-2020-4) Executive privilege. Nothing new; nothing to see here. Move along now. Before Trump weighed in, [the word was that he wouldn’t be punished.](https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/04/01/captain-unlikely-be-punished-over-candid-coronavirus-letter-navy-leaders-say.html) [Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said Friday that his firing of the captain who raised the alarm about a coronavirus outbreak onboard a U.S. aircraft carrier was the “hardest thing that I’ve ever had to do.”](https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/03/acting-navy-secretary-defends-firing-of-captain-who-warned-of-virus-outbreak-162877) Was it the hardest thing because he knew it was wrong? My guess is that Captain Crozier has traded his career for the lives of, oh, maybe ten of this sailors. In peacetime, that admirable. P.S. In addition to sailors who might have died from the high viral load of such close quarters, some would survive with permanent health damage caused by prolonged time-on-ventilator-related injury. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/83 "2020-04-06T12:36:45Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > That is actually much nicer than I imagined. In the one warship I’ve been in, the bunks were like [the photo on this page](http://www.battleshipnc.com/about-the-ship/) (which somehow manages to make it look less bleak than it actually was.) Those are pre-WWII bunks, when I visited the New Jersey (BB-62), the bunks had been switched over to the modern style on one of the refits. But the North Carolina was Decommissioned: June 1947. Some ships in WWII still used actual hammocks. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/84 "2020-04-06T12:49:16Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > I’d guess he’s talking about the people being jammed together. That can’t be it. Of course, they’re jammed together. As noted, they basically sleep on top of each other for weeks on end. ---
**Author:** ![Monocracy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monocracy/32/4493_2.png) [@Monocracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monocracy)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/85 "2020-04-06T13:49:49Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > That can’t be it. Of course, they’re jammed together. As noted, they basically sleep on top of each other for weeks on end. This wasn’t a picture of them sleeping. Just because they have been in high risk situations doesn’t mean they should put themselves in even more high risk situations when it’s not necessary. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/86 "2020-04-06T14:03:42Z")
Lol, there is absolutely no value in trying to social distance on a battleship. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/87 "2020-04-06T16:36:36Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Those are pre-WWII bunks, when I visited the New Jersey (BB-62), the bunks had been switched over to the modern style on one of the refits. But the North Carolina was Decommissioned: June 1947. Some ships in WWII still used actual hammocks. Ages ago when my girlfriend and I saw _Outland_, _High Noon_ in space, there was a scene where Sean Connery chased the bad guys through the station on Io, including the berthing spaces. When we were leaving, GF remarked, “That dormitory looked horrible.” I laughed and told her that, except for being stacked five high instead of three, they were your standard naval modular bunk, and the sailors were glad to get 'em. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/88 "2020-04-06T16:49:17Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Lol, there is absolutely no value in trying to social distance on a battleship. For what it is worth, battleship has a meaning, if you want to be generic, use Combat ship or Combat Vessel. Or be specific and say Carrier. The New Jersey is a Battleship, The Roosevelt is a Carrier. Both are combat vessels. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/89 "2020-04-06T17:15:58Z")
Now tell me the difference between gun and rifle. 😛 Eta: only thing I remember about Outland is that I kinda liked shotguns in a space movie. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/90 "2020-04-06T17:17:41Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Now tell me the difference between gun and rifle. 😛 That must be an Army or Marine thing. Not so much Navy. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/91 "2020-04-06T17:27:25Z")
Well, it was an allusion to [“This is my rifle, this is my gun”](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4kU0XCVey_U) but I’ve met a few military guys and fans who would say something similar to what you just did if someone uses “gun” for things other than artillery. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/92 "2020-04-06T17:48:39Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Well, it was an allusion to [“This is my rifle, this is my gun”](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4kU0XCVey_U) but I’ve met a few military guys and fans who would say something similar to what you just did if someone uses “gun” for things other than artillery. I was on a carrier, we didn’t really have guns outside of the Phalanx systems. Before I got on board we had 5" guns, but I’m not sure when they were pulled off. I think they were removed little by little and the last of the original 8 might have made it until the early 80s. We had Cruisers, Destroyers and Frigates to defend us with their guns, so we didn’t carry any by the time I got there. The Phalanx Machine guns were pretty effective though as anti-missile defense especially. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/93 "2020-04-06T18:01:50Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Almost of replenishment at sea seems to be done via spanline transfer, and while you can transfer people that way I’d personally rather freeclimb El Capitan. > > Stranger There is a method of personnel transfer called Synthetic High-line Transfer. It was still a required skill to practice once every year or two back in the mid-00’s and I had the opportunity to do it between two destroyers on my first ship. They sent me over and back first as a sort of test dummy, then the Commodore for the Destroyer Squadron went over just for kicks. But, yeah, that’s not something that’s done very often, if ever (it may not even be required for training purposes anymore). Even ships without embarked aircraft would tend to use small boats. If the seas are too rough to use a boat… they tend to wait until they aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/94 "2020-04-06T18:10:24Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Now tell me the difference between gun and rifle. 😛 One uses a magazine and the other a clip? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/95 "2020-04-06T18:16:19Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Ages ago when my girlfriend and I saw _Outland_, _High Noon_ in space, there was a scene where Sean Connery chased the bad guys through the station on Io, including the berthing spaces. When we were leaving, GF remarked, “That dormitory looked horrible.” > > I laughed and told her that, except for being stacked five high instead of three, they were your standard naval modular bunk, and the sailors were glad to get 'em. At least a hammock doesn’t roll with the ship 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/96 "2020-04-06T18:23:26Z")
And now [Modly has insulted Crozier to the ship’s crew](https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/06/politics/uss-tr-crozier-modly/index.html): > [@](#): > > Modly told the crew that their former commander, Capt. Brett Crozier, was either “too naive or too stupid” to be in command or that he intentionally leaked to the media a memo in which he warned about coronavirus spreading aboard the aircraft carrier and urged action to save his sailors. > > The acting secretary accused Crozier of committing a “betrayal” and creating a “big controversy” in Washington by disseminating the warning so widely. > > “It was a betrayal. And I can tell you one other thing: because he did that he put it in the public’s forum and it is now a big controversy in Washington, DC,” Modly said, according to a transcript of remarks Modly made to the crew, copies of which have been provided to CNN by multiple Navy officials. Mosby said he knew the crew would probably be angry with him for the rest of their lives. Damned straight. What an ass Mosby is. What a monumental ass. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/97 "2020-04-06T19:43:15Z")
Way to inspire the crew. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/98 "2020-04-06T19:53:33Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > And now [Modly has insulted Crozier to the ship’s crew](https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/06/politics/uss-tr-crozier-modly/index.html): > > Mosby said he knew the crew would probably be angry with him for the rest of their lives. Damned straight. What an ass Mosby is. What a monumental ass. That’s obviously not Modley speaking; those are Trump’s words coming out of Modley’s mouth. I’m not defending the acting secretary, but I find it hard to believe that someone who’s worn the uniform would actually believe that this is a way to restore calm in the face of a crisis. That being said, something I’ve been warning about for a long time is now becoming abundantly clear: given time, Trump can change the culture of the military. I think Snowboarder Bo and I were challenged on this by an ex Marine on this site who claimed that no man in uniform would follow through on an illegal or unconstitutional order, and our response was that, in fact, all indications are that they would. This has been proven true in multiple psychological experiments and in real life: people obey authority. People want to keep their jobs. People want to keep their status. Don’t be so naive as to believe that Trump couldn’t ultimately find enough people who want to keep their jobs and want their jobs badly enough to follow through on patently illegal, unconstitutional, and immoral conduct. We already know that the Navy Sec. is following through on outrageously immoral orders. We also know this administration gives absolutely zero fucks about the law and the Constitution. So I’ll ask, what makes anyone - anyone - believe that the military would not follow through on martial law under the right (or wrong) circumstances? ---
**Author:** ![arles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/71c47a/32.png) [@arles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arles)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/99 "2020-04-06T19:57:12Z")
Well that didn’t go down well. > [@](#): > > ‘Shut the F\*\*\* up’: What one sailor shouted when Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly flew to Guam and told fired aircraft carrier’s captain’s crew their hero ‘was too naive or too stupid to be a commanding officer’ Let’s hope there is video of this. [https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8192369/Acting-navy-secretary-trashes-coronavirus-aircraft-carriers-fired-captain-naive-stupid.html](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8192369/Acting-navy-secretary-trashes-coronavirus-aircraft-carriers-fired-captain-naive-stupid.html) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738/100 "2020-04-06T20:03:41Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > That’s obviously not Modley speaking; those are Trump’s words coming out of Modley’s mouth. I’m not defending the acting secretary, but I find it hard to believe that someone who’s worn the uniform would actually believe that this is a way to restore calm in the face of a crisis. > > That being said, something I’ve been warning about for a long time is now becoming abundantly clear: given time, Trump can change the culture of the military. I think Snowboarder Bo and I were challenged on this by an ex Marine on this site who claimed that no man in uniform would follow through on an illegal or unconstitutional order, and our response was that, in fact, all indications are that they would. > > This has been proven true in multiple psychological experiments and in real life: people obey authority. People want to keep their jobs. People want to keep their status. Don’t be so naive as to believe that Trump couldn’t ultimately find enough people who want to keep their jobs and want their jobs badly enough to follow through on patently illegal, unconstitutional, and immoral conduct. We already know that the Navy Sec. is following through on outrageously immoral orders. We also know this administration gives absolutely zero fucks about the law and the Constitution. > > So I’ll ask, what makes anyone - anyone - believe that the military would not follow through on martial law under the right (or wrong) circumstances? The very fact that the commander of an Aircraft Carrier took it upon himself to do the right thing is what makes me believe that Trump won’t change the culture of the military in a meaningful way. Carrier Captains are pretty much fast track to Admiral. He knew there was a good chance he was throwing that away and even throwing away his current command. He did it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-of-usn-aircraft-carrier-begs-for-help-as-covid19-ravages-ships-company/850738.md?page=6)