Videos showed hundreds chanting Capt. Brett Crozier’s name as he walked off his ship after being fired for voicing concerns for his crew following a COVID-19 outbreak on the USS Theodore Roosevelt .

Mc3 Sean Lynch / U.S. Navy Capt. Brett Crozier addresses his crew for the first time as commanding officer of USS Theodore Roosevelt in 2019.

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Captain Brett Crozier received a resounding farewell from sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier after the US Navy fired him for voicing concerns for his crew amid an outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, on his ship.

Crozier was relieved of command Thursday after he wrote a letter to Navy officials — subsequently leaked and published in the San Francisco Chronicle – pleading for resources to isolate his crew members off the warship that is docked in Guam following a COVID-19 outbreak less than a week ago. "Keeping over 4,000 young men and women on board the TR is an unnecessary risk and breaks faith with those Sailors entrusted to our care," Crozier wrote in the letter. The US Navy dismissed him as the ship's commander Thursday, saying that his letter was sent outside the chain of command over unclassified email and that his actions made people believe that the Navy was not doing enough to protect sailors. However, Crozier will keep his rank and remain in the Navy. Several videos posted on social media Friday showed a large crowd of sailors cheering, clapping, and chanting "Captain Crozier!" as he walked alone down the gangway of the USS Theodore Roosevelt on Thursday. "Farwell Sir it's been a pleasure #WEARETRSTRONG #MYCO #TR," Michael Washington wrote in a Facebook post sharing one video.

More than 86,000 people have signed a Change.org petition demanding Crozier be reinstated as the commanding officer of the USS Theodore Roosevelt. "He is a hero who should be rewarded," the petition said.

Wrongfully relieved of command but did right by the sailors. #navy @UncleChaps @katebarstool @ZeroBlog30 @CaptainCons

"The whole ship came out to say goodbye to Captain Crozier," Maddie Blanco, who shared another video, wrote on Facebook.