NORFOLK, Va. — It is most definitely not the news the families associated with the USS Harry S. Truman Strike Group wanted to hear, but the sailors and ships will remain out to sea -- for now, anyway -- because of the coronavirus.
The U.S. Navy Second Fleet says it is critical that the nation has a ready and able aircraft carrier strike group that can maintain lethality at sea.
That task will fall to the USS Harry Truman group, after having already completed a nearly 5-month deployment to the 5th and 6th areas of operations.
The Truman will stay in the Western Atlantic Ocean, training.
"And we're a high-end carrier strike group that is able to operate across the spectrum of conflict right now, that we need to keep in that state such as that in order to be able to fill the need of the nation," said Vice Admiral Andrew "Woody" Lewis, Commander of the 2nd Fleet.
The decision to leave the Truman, three destroyers and a cruiser at sea comes as the Navy battles a coronavirus outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Pacific. 585 sailors aboard that ship have tested positive for COVID-19, and on Monday, one TR sailor who had been hospitalized and placed in an intensive care unit died.
Three other American carriers have had a least one crew member test positive. No Truman sailors have tested positive.
Navy leaders say that although delaying the Truman Group's homecoming is not ideal, it is the best decision.
"We're absolutely going to keep the families informed to the maximum degree possible," said Lewis.