WASHINGTON — A crew member from the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt who had the novel coronavirus died on Monday, in a poignant punctuation to the plea from the ship’s captain two weeks ago for help from the Navy because “sailors don’t need to die.”

The death of the sailor came as Navy officials continued to struggle to combat the infection that has crippled the nuclear-powered ship, now docked in Guam. The name of the sailor is being withheld until 24 hours after family members are notified, Navy officials said.

“The entire department is deeply saddened by the loss of our first active-duty member to Covid-19,” Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said in a statement. Adm. Michael M. Gilday, the chief of naval operations, called the death “a great loss for the ship and for our Navy.”

The death is already wrapped up in what has become a story of disjointed leadership in the Navy, where top officials pitted themselves against the ship’s captain and medical crew in the battle to contain the disease. Pleading for more help from the Navy to swiftly evacuate the ship as the virus spread, Capt. Brett E. Crozier implored officials to put concerns for the health of the sailors ahead of concerns for the ship’s ability to maintain military readiness should a war crop up.