A retired US Navy captain has issued an apology after accidentally live-streaming a conversation with his wife to Facebook in which they both used derogatory language and racial slurs.

Scott Bethmann says he has been left "mortified" by the incident and is now working on becoming a better person. He has also resigned from his position on the US Naval Academy Alumni Association board.

Bethmann and his wife, Nancy, unknowingly streamed the conversation for 30 minutes, in which they discussed the ongoing protests occurring across the US.

In audio obtained by CNN affiliate WJXT, Bethmann is heard using the 'n-word' and complaining about white people apparently not being able to speak their mind, saying: "The white m*****f*****s can't say anything. That's the point we're making here, Nancy."

Mrs Bethmann can then be heard in the discussing: "F****** Asians from China who love to steal all of our intellectual property".

You can hear clips from the original stream below - Warning: Some people will find the language used upsetting:

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Bethmann's Facebook page has since been removed.

In a statement issued through a family spokesperson, Bethmann said it was never appropriate "to use derogatory terms when speaking about our fellow man".

He added:

"There are no words that can appropriately express how mortified and apologetic my wife and I are about the insensitive things we said that were captured on social media.

"I know that an apology from us rings hollow on many ears in our community, especially in the current environment. We intend on using this experience as an opportunity to grow, listen, learn, and reflect.

"We are deeply sorry for the impact our actions have had on the Naval Academy, my fellow servicemen and women, our former colleagues, friends, family, and the community as a whole. We are committed to educating ourselves more on the racial inequalities in this country and being better people."

The Jacksonville chapter of the Naval Academy Alumni Association held an emergency meeting on Saturday to discuss the incident, and later announced that Bethman had resigned from the board.

In a statement from USNA Alumni Association Jacksonville Chapter President Caleb Cronic posted to Facebook, he said:

"The nature of those comments are not consistent with our volunteer leadership mission at our Jacksonville Chapter of the United States Naval Academy Alumni Association, the national Alumni Association, and does not represent the leadership values of our Naval Academy or the US Navy.

"CAPT Bethmann has resigned from our board and his trustee position. Our board is convening an emergency meeting today to discuss our way forward.

"To echo the words of Superintendent, Vice Adm. Sean S Buck, 'honor, courage, and commitment, and the mission of the United States Naval Academy. Nowhere is discrimination tolerated in any of those values.'"

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The US Naval Academy Alumni Association Board of Trustees' chairman, retired Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, said the "statements do not represent the mission and values of the Alumni Association, the Naval Academy or the US Navy".

Locklear added that the association represented "more than 65,000 individuals from diverse backgrounds and perspectives."

He continued: "As an alumni organization, we seek to be an inspiration for all young people who want to become future Navy and Marine Corps officers. We will continue to honor that inspirational role. We are all in this together. We must face the challenges of today and all future challenges of tomorrow ... together."

Retired Navy captain apologizes after accidentally live-streaming racial slurs on Facebook