47 Test Positive For Coronavirus On Everett-Based Navy Destroyer

EVERETT, WA — At least 47 sailors have tested positive for the new coronavirus on the USS Kidd, a U.S. Navy destroyer based at Naval Station Everett. The Seattle Times reports the ship had been deployed in the Pacific, off the coast of South America, on anti-drug operations.

The COVID-19 outbreak on the USS Kidd is the second recorded aboard a Navy vessel at sea. The Navy said at least 955 active cases were confirmed among crewmembers on the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier, since early March. One sailor died from complications related to the illness, and 14 are listed as recovered.

According to an update posted Monday morning, 45 percent of the USS Kidd's crewmembers have been tested for the virus. Two sailors were medically evacuated to the United States, and 15 were taken to the USS Makin Island for monitoring. None of the crewmembers are in intensive care or on ventilators, the Navy said. All sailors aboard the ship are required to wear personal protective equipment and N95 masks.

Cmdr. Matt Noland, the ship's executive officer, posted an update on the USS Kidd's official Facebook page Saturday morning.

"I am an optimist, but make no mistake. KIDD is in a fight right now, against COVID and against anyone out there who might want to capitalize on what they perceive as a weakness," Noland wrote. "I am seeing hundreds of young American Sailors come together to fight for each other, and to do what they swore to do when they took an oath to protect our republic."

Noland said the ship was headed to a port, and the top priority was getting a clean bill of health for the crew to return to sea as soon as possible.

Learn more about the Navy's COVID-19 response here.