A U.S. Navy destroyer has been forced to return to port after more than a dozen sailors assigned to the vessel tested positive for the coronavirus, a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed to Politico on Friday.
18 sailors assigned to the USS Kidd have tested positive for COVID-19, with one having to be medevaced off the ship and taken to a medical treatment facility in San Antonio, Texas, according to Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman. The sailors have been removed from the ship, which will be cleaned before it leaves port.
"The good news is that because of the fact that we have seen outbreaks on some of our naval vessels in the past, there are lessons learned," Hoffman said, adding that a medical team reached the ship within 24 hours. "I think there is high level of attention to the issue from the Navy, I think they have procedures in place and they’ve activated them."
“The first patient transported is already improving and will self-isolate. We are taking every precaution to ensure we identify, isolate, and prevent any further spread onboard the ship,” said U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command’s Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson. “Our medical team continues coordinating with the ship and our focus is the safety and well-being of every Sailor.”
Politico notes that although CNN found that 26 ships have reported crew members testing positive for the coronavirus, the Kidd is only the second ship after the USS Theodore Roosevelt to have sailors test positive while at sea. The Kidd was in the process of conducting a counternarcotics mission near South America when it was forced to return to the U.S. because of the outbreak aboard.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.