Ten weeks long after a major coronavirus outbreak ruled out one of the Navy’s signature warships, US Theodore Roosevelt had returned to sea and conducted military operations in the Pacific region.

Marching on the flight deck in their white uniforms, the sailors wearing white face masks stood safely as far as 10 meters in the final, formal thanks as the ship sailed out of the port in Guam on Thursday and headed for the Philippine Sea.

“We guard the rails, which we don’t usually do. There is a lot of symbolism in that, “Navy Captain Carlos Sardiello told The Associated Press in an interview from the ship Thursday.” They are excited. They are excited to go back to sea on missions. “

Roosevelt entered Guam on March 27, with a rapidly increasing number of seafarers who tested positive for the virus. Over time, more than 1,000 infected with COVID-19, began a lengthy and systematic process to move about 4,000 seafarers ashore for quarantine and maintenance, while around 800 remained aboard to protect and operate high-tech systems, including nuclear reactors that run ships .

Gradually, the sailors were methodically taken back to the ship, while others who still went ashore for mandated two-week quarantine. And at the end of March, ships with only around 3,000 crew members went to sea for about two weeks of training, including recertification of flight decks and combat squadrons, such as taking off and landing on aircraft carriers.

Earlier this week, Roosevelt completed training and returned to Guam to pick up nearly 1,000 seafarers who had been left there to complete their quarantine or to manage and work with those still on the island. When the ship sailed to the harbor, he raised the flag with the words “Do not Give Up the Ship,” the famous Navy war cry since the War of 1812.

“Our sailors did not release the ship. They fought and got it back. So I think it’s appropriate, “said Sardiello, who asked one of the other Navy ships to borrow their flag. “The ship is clean and the ship is healthy without COVID case. So I said, ok, we will fly once on our way to Guam as a symbol to improve their morale. “

RS1 Katie VanDrimmelen is one of the sailors who left the mainland during the two week training. He tested positive for the virus and was quarantined for about five weeks. Walking back to the ship, he said, seemed welcomed at home from the placement.

“That’s amazing,” said VanDrimmelen, from Ogden, Utah. “It’s great to be back to our normal atmosphere. Everyone is happy. “

Sardiello said that watching sailors board the ship was a great feeling, but he knew he was not finished. There are still around 350 sailors on Guam who are isolated or there are support staff.

“More and more seamen meet the criteria of returning to work, and we fly it every day. So we reduce that number day by day, “said Sardiello.” But I really want those 350 people back. And we’re working hard for it. “

He said that any seamen who did not recover in time would be transported back to the US. The ship is expected to resume operations in the Pacific, and then is likely to return to San Diego later this summer.

Roosevelt had been the center of an unresolved controversy that led to the shooting of the previous captain of the ship, the resignation of the Navy secretary and an expanded investigation of what triggered the plague and how well the best naval commanders handled it.

Sardiello, previously Roosevelt’s captain, was suddenly sent back to the ship in early April to take command after Captain Brett Crozier was fired for urging his commanders to take faster action to stem the virus outbreak on board.

After a preliminary review last month, Admiral Mike Gilday, a senior Navy officer, recommended that Crozier be reappointed as ship’s captain. But the Navy decided to conduct a broader investigation.

The review, which effectively delayed the decision about Crozier’s recovery, was completed and submitted to Gilday at the end of March and he is still reviewing an extensive report, which includes several hundred pages of interviews, documents and recommendations.

Cmdr. Nate Christensen, Gilday’s spokesman, said it would take time for the admiral to complete his review and make a decision.