The USS Milwaukee, a litorral combat ship with about 100 crew, will stay docked at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay for the immediate future because a significant number of its crew has been diagnosed with COVID due to the spread of the Delta and Omicron variants.
According to the Associated Press, the Milwaukee was scheduled to patrol the South Atlantic, making goodwill stops at ports in Central and South America before continuing its mission under the command of the U.S. Southern Command.
The Navy has announced that 98% of its uniformed members are in compliance with the Pentagon’s vaccination mandate. The first Navy ship to experience widespread infections was the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, which docked in Guam after its captain issued a warning that its crew was not healthy enough to function. The captain was relieved of duty by Donald Trump for making the report.