US Navy destroyer that was hit by coronavirus continues deployment

The US Navy’s Arleigh Burke guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100), that recently suffered a coronavirus outbreak on board, departed San Diego to continue her scheduled deployment on 10 June.

Kidd is scheduled to return to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility to continue its mission in support of SOUTHCOM Enhanced Counter Narcotics Operations in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.

“I am extremely proud of my crew and their coordination with Navy Region Southwest, U.S. Surface Forces Pacific and U.S. Third Fleet as we navigated through our COVID-19 outbreak on board,”  Cmdr. Nathan Wemett, Kidd’s commanding officer, said.

“The strength of the bond throughout the Navy communities ensured we safely and effectively disembarked the crew, disinfected the ship, re-embarked the crew, and will be able to continue our mission out at sea.”

As part of the US Navy’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak on board the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100), the ship arrived at Naval Base San Diego April 28 to provide medical care, quarantine, and monitoring for its Sailors, and to clean and disinfect the ship.

The ship’s crew had begun a strategic deep-cleaning regimen while still underway that balanced decontamination with preventing damage to the ship’s critical systems.

USS Kidd is assigned to U.S. 3rd Fleet, which leads naval forces in the Pacific.