The captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt was relieved of command after writing a memo pleading for assistance in addressing the coronavirus outbreak on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which is sidelined in Guam.

Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly announced the decision today at the Pentagon, criticizing the way Captain Brett Crozier expressed his concerns

and saying the officer let the stress of the outbreak, which has affected more than 100 crew members, “overwhelm his ability to act professionally.”

The memo, which Navy leaders say was sent via unsecure email and distributed broadly outside the chain of command, “created a little bit of panic on the ship,” and “misrepresented the facts of what was going on on the ship as well,” Modly said. “It raised alarm bells unnecessarily.”

Citing an “ongoing and accelerating” danger on board the carrier, Crozier sent his Navy superiors the memo pleading, “We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die.” He called for removing all but a skeleton crew from the carrier, where sailors are in close quarters, so that they can be isolated and tested.

Modly suggested that the captain’s move “jeopardized the national security interests of the United States” and that the Navy was already in the process of addressing Crozier’s concerns when he sent his message. He added that Crozier failed to discuss the concerns in the letter with his commanding officer, who was also on board the Roosevelt.

About 144 crew members on the 4,800-person carrier have tested positive for the virus, Modly said, adding that none are hospitalized and that some are showing no symptoms. He said sailors are being rotated off the carrier for coronavirus testing.

Navy Rejects Captain’s Plea to Evacuate Virus-Ravaged Carrier

Both Modly and Chief of Naval Operations Michael Gilday said that the Navy is starting an investigation into what led to the breakdown in the chain of command.

“I lost confidence in his ability to continue to lead that warship as it fights through the virus,” Modly said.