Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

US Navy ship stranded in Guantanamo Bay with coronavirus outbreak

Some infected members are showing mild symptoms, but the crew are fully vaccinated

Bevan Hurley
Saturday 25 December 2021 21:10 GMT
Comments
The USS Milwaukee is stranded in port at Guantanamo Bay after a Covid outbreak
The USS Milwaukee is stranded in port at Guantanamo Bay after a Covid outbreak (US Navy/Aaron Lau)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A Covid-19 outbreak onboard the USS Milwaukee has forced the ship to remain in port at Naval Station Guantánamo Bay.

An unspecified number of the 105-person crew tested positive for Covid-19 and are isolating away from the rest of the crew.

In a statement, the Navy said the crew was fully vaccinated and several sailors were showing mild symptoms.

Booster shots are not yet mandatory for naval personnel, but are recommended, a spokeswoman added.

Commanders have imposed a mask mandate onboard the the Freedom-class combat ship.

It is not yet known how long the ship will have to remain in port for.

The USS Milwaukee departed from its home base in Mayport, Florida, on 14 December for scheduled deployment to the US 4th Fleet area of operations.

A press release announcing its departure said it would be supporting drug trafficking operations in the Caribbean.

In April 2020, 600 crew from the USS Theodore Roosevelt were diagnosed with Covid-19 while on patrol in the Pacific Ocean.

Its captain Brett Crozier was fired after a letter he wrote asking that crew be taken ashore for treatment was leaked to the media.

Mr Crozier was later reinstated.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in