Five days after firing the commander of a coronavirus-crippled U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, and a day after apologizing for calling that skipper naive and stupid in heated remarks to that warship's crew, acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly has called it quits. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has accepted his resignation.

Modly resigned amid public outrage over his handling of the COVID-19 crisis aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt and growing demands from congressional Democrats for his removal. ...

Modly's departure as the Navy's top civilian official comes two weeks after the drama of the Roosevelt began, when the warship confirmed its first three cases of COVID-19 among more than 5,800 crew members after making port calls in Vietnam.

An impassioned memo emailed to superior officials and dated March 30 from the carrier's commander, Capt. Brett Crozier, described an "accelerating" crisis aboard and pleaded for swift removal of its crew to adequate quarantine housing in Guam, where the warship is currently docked.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 120,000 people have signed a petition calling on the U.S. Navy to reinstate the captain of a coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier a day after he was relieved of his command for a letter sent to superiors urging stronger measures to halt the outbreak.

Captain Brett Crozier was relieved of his command of the USS Theodore Roosevelt on Thursday after a scathing letter in which he called on the Navy to take “decisive action” to halt the spread of the virus aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was leaked to the media.

“His actions possibly saved many lives,” the online petition said. “Although he was fired, his plan to safely remove crew members was still implemented. He is a hero who should be rewarded.” ...