The plan to send a warship to the South Pacific on a philanthropic mission was canceled by the U.S. Navy after one crew member developed swine flu while 49 others were with symptoms.

Initially the San Diego-based USS Dubuque was to sail on June 1 for a four-month mission for giving medical, dental, veterinary and engineering assistance to Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands. The Dubuque generally carries more than 400 crew members and about 900 Marines.

Navy Lt. Sean Robertson said ailing crew aboard the 16,900-ton (15,300-tonne) amphibious vessel were put on a five-day course of Tamiflu on April 30. The remaining 370 crew members and staff began a 10-day prophylaxis course on May 3.

Robertson added: "The ship has been cancelled for this. We are looking at options in order to meet the commitments we've made to the countries down there."

He told that ill crew members had been treated with anti-viral medication and the remaining crew had been given prophylaxis.