WASHINGTON — The Navy's top civilian issued an apology Monday night after ridiculing a captain whose letter pleading for help amid a coronavirus outbreak on a U.S. warship was leaked.

"Let me be clear, I do not think Captain Brett Crozier is naïve nor stupid," wrote acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly in a statement. "I believe, precisely because he is not naive and stupid, that he sent his alarming email with the intention of getting it into the public domain in an effort to draw public attention to the situation on his ship."

"I also want to apologize directly to Captain Crozier, his family, and the entire crew of the Theodore Roosevelt for any pain my remarks may have caused," he added.

The latest revelation came hours after Modly made a surprise speech aboard the coronavirus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier in Guam.

"If he didn't think that information was going to get out into the public in this information age that we live in, then he was, A, too naive or too stupid to be a commanding officer of a ship like this," Modly told the crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt over a loudspeaker.

"The alternative is that he did it on purpose," he said, adding that he stood by his decision to relieve Crozier of his command.