US Navy officials have recommended that Captain Brett Crozier should be restored to his post as commander of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.

Captain Crozier was relieved of his command after sending a letter to the Secretary of Defence pleading for help with a coronavirus outbreak on the vessel. That letter was leaked to the media leading to his dismissal.

Defence Secretary Mark Esper received the recommendation on Friday from the chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Michael Gilday, and the acting Navy secretary, James McPherson.

Mr Esper has asked for more time to consider the reinstatement — which surprised Navy leaders who thought that he would leave the decision up to the military chain of command, The New York Times reports.

Previously, the defence secretary had said that he was open to restoring Captain Crozier to his command post. Earlier in April, he told CBS: “We've taken nothing off the table. My inclination is always to support the chain of command, and to take the recommendations seriously.”

“Following the chain of command and maintaining operational security is very important in the military. There are always extreme cases where going outside of the chain of command makes sense, and that's why we want to see where this investigation leads,” Mr Esper added.

Reinstating Captain Crozier would bring to a close a story that saw him put the well-being of his crew of 4,800 sailors ahead of his career.

His pleas for help once crewmembers began to fall ill came after more than month of news headlines about similar problems on cruise ships and the dangers of having so many people in confined quarters.

The Roosevelt eventually docked in Guam and sailors were rotated off the ship into quarantine. Captain Crozier was then relieved of command by Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly citing his use of "non-secure unclassified email" to plead for help, and its distribution to a "broad array of people" rather than up the chain of command.

As Captain left the ship he was cheered by those onboard who chanted his name in appreciation.

Further twists awaited when Mr Modly was forced to resign due to outrage over comments he made about Captain Crozier's actions. Mr Modly referred to him as “stupid” and “naive.”