“The navy doesn’t assign just anybody to command a Nimitz-Class nuclear carrier - this Captain was one of the best they had.”
No but the captain and every other person on that ship knows that with it comes to maintaining the custody of nuclear reactors and especially nuclear weapons, that lives are not the primary concern.
I can see you never served around nuclear weapons.
I will also point out that his reports were not ignored but that the navy was handling it differently than he wanted. The Navy was not responsible to publish how they were going to handle it.
The Captain should have trusted his superiors rather than break the chain of command and release what was surly classified information to the public.
False assumption on your part - actually several; the Captain never considering abandoning or endangering the nukes - or any other part of his ship. No, the navy command structure wasted almost two weeks since the discovery of infected sailors. What connection I have had with nuclear weapons is not to be discussed on this or any forum.
Captain Crozier successfully commanded the Blue Ridge and served as XO on a carrier before that. He was and is a proven leader but the navy chain of command considered his troops to be expendable - at least until his last letter was leaked.
You underestimate just how political and how self interested our military leadership has become over the last few years.