USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 (known affectionately as the Big Stick or TR) is the fourth Nimitz-class supercarrier and the nickname is Rough Rider, the name of President Theodore Roosevelt's volunteer cavalry unit during the Spanish-American War. USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier was launched on 27 October 1984 and saw her first action during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. | |
| USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN 71 General characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Class and type: | Nimitz-class aircraft carrier |
| Displacement: | Approximately 101,000 long tons (103,000 t) full load |
| Length: | Overall: 1,092 feet (332.8 m) Waterline: 1,040 feet (317.0 m) |
| Beam: | Overall: 252 ft (76.8 m) Waterline: 134 ft (40.8 m) |
| Draft: | Maximum navigational: 37 ft (11.3 m) Limit: 41 ft (12.5 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors 4 × steam turbines 4 × shafts 260,000 shp (194 MW) |
| Speed: | 30+ knots (56+ km/h; 35+ mph) |
| Range: | Essentially unlimited |
| Endurance: | Limited only by food |
| Complement: | Ship's company: 3,200 Air wing: 2,480 |
| Sensors and processing systems: | AN/SPS-48E 3-D air search radar AN/SPS-49(V)5 2-D air search radar AN/SPQ-9B target acquisition radar 2 × AN/SPN-46 air traffic control radars AN/SPN-43B air traffic control radar AN/SPN-44 landing aid radars 4 × Mk 91 NSSM guidance systems 4 × Mk 95 radars |
| Electronic warfare and decoys: | SLQ-32A(V)4 Countermeasures suite SLQ-25A Nixie torpedo countermeasures |
| Armament: | 3 x NSSMS (Sea Sparrow) Sea-to-Air missile launchers 3 x PHALANX CIWS (Close-In Weapons System) Gatling guns 10 x .50 Caliber M2HB mounted machine guns |
| Armor: | No armor plating, but a double-hull design reduces damage from torpedoes |
| Aircraft carried: | 90 fixed wing and helicopters |
When Iraqi forces turned on the Kurds, USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier and CVW-8 were among the first coalition forces in Operation Provide Comfort, flying patrols over northern Iraq. After a 189-day deployment, with 169 days at sea, Theodore Roosevelt returned to Norfolk on 28 June 1991. On 14 February 1992, the ship won her second Battle "E". This was followed by the award of the Battenberg Cup for 1991 as the Atlantic Fleet's premier ship.
USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier and CVW-8 began their third deployment on 11 March 1993, teamed with the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF) to test the concept of embarking a multi-purpose Marine force in a carrier. USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier hosted President Bill Clinton's first visit to a U.S. Navy ship, then sailed to the Adriatic as CVW-8 planes enforced Operation Deny Flight in the U.S. no-fly zone over Bosnia. In June, on the way to only her second port visit, USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier was ordered to turn around and transit the Suez Canal en-route to the Red Sea to participate in Operation Southern Watch, enforcing the no-fly zone over Iraq.
Deployed for 184 days, USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier spent 169 days underway. Her flight deck logged over 16,000 hours, and CVW-8 flew more sorties than during Operation Desert Storm. For her accomplishments, the ship received her second Meritorious Unit Commendation.
In November 1993, USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) for a Selected Restricted Availability (SRA). Heading back to sea on 14 April 1994, USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier became the first nuclear carrier to complete an SRA ahead of schedule at NNSY.
Awards for 1993 continued. USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier received the CINCLANTFLT Golden Anchor Award for the best retention in an Atlantic Fleet carrier. On 10 March 1994, USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier received its third Battle "E". Then on 3 June, Theodore Roosevelt was awarded her second Battenberg Cup as the best ship in the Atlantic Fleet.
USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier and CVW-8 began their fourth deployment in March 1995, operating in the Red Sea in support of Operation Southern Watch. TR returned to Norfolk, Virginia from deployment in September. USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier also provided a "Forward from the Sea" presence, conducting flight operations in support of Operations Deny Flight and Sharp Guard over the skies of Bosnia and in the Adriatic operating areas. Deny Flight evolved into Operation Deliberate Force, as CVW-8 aircraft led NATO strikes against strategic Bosnian Serb targets in Bosnia-Herzegovina. During Theodore Roosevelt's transit home, Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton came aboard and awarded the Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group the Navy Unit Commendation for its Bosnia operations. Ports of call visited during the deployment were Haifa, Israel (twice); Jebel Ali, UAE; Rhodes and Corfu, Greece; and Trieste, Italy. Also during this deployment, King Hussein of Jordan was flown onto the ship via a S-3B Viking aircraft and given a VIP tour of the ship for the day. While TR was anchored in Rhodes, Greece for a port call, Oprah Winfrey, who was vacationing on the island, requested and received a tour of the ship.In 1996, USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier received her third consecutive Golden Anchor Award and Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet's first Security Excellence Award. CVW-3 joined Theodore Roosevelt in May 1996 prior to her port visit to Halifax, Nova Scotia. On 1 November 1996, Capt. David Architzel became Theodore Roosevelt's sixth Commanding Officer. USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier deployed for her fifth deployment on 25 November 1996, conducting operations in the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch.
On 8 July 1997, USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier entered the Newport News Shipbuilding yard for a one-year Extended Drydock and Selected Restricted Availability (EDSRA), her first major overhaul since commissioning. In February 1998, USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier received her fifth Golden Anchor Award while in the shipyard. One year later, Theodore Roosevelt returned to her homeport at the Norfolk Naval Station.
USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier began her sixth deployment on 26 March 1999 with CVW-8. They were immediately called to duty in the Ionian Sea to support NATO's Operation Allied Force. USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier and CVW-8 aircraft conducted air strikes for two months over the skies of Kosovo against the Serbians. TR and CVW-8 were then dispatched to support Operation Southern Watch, enforcing the "no-fly" zone over Southern Iraq. USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier returned to her homeport of Norfolk, Va., on 24 September 1999.
On 7 January 2000, USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier entered a Planned Incremental Availability at the Norfolk Naval Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia. This six month maintenance period ended on 30 June 2000 when the ship departed on sea trials.
After the events of 9/11, USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier began her seventh deployment earlier than planned on 19 September 2001 with Carrier Air Wing One. On the night of 4 October 2001, Theodore Roosevelt and CVW-1 launched the initial strikes of Operation Enduring Freedom against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier spent 159 consecutive days at sea, breaking the record longest period underway since WWII. USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier returned to her homeport 27 March 2002, and was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation, 2001 Battenberg Cup, and 2001 Battle E.USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier pulled out of NNSY 30 October 2002, after completing a Planned Incremental Availability. USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier left Naval Station Norfolk on 6 January for a month-long training cruise in the Caribbean area. While down there TR received orders to proceed across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea. TR arrived in February and began preparations to launch attacks on Iraq. On 16 March 2003 USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier along with the USS Harry S. Truman began launching air strikes into Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Ports of call included: Souda Bay, Crete; Koper, Slovenia; and Spain. TR returned home 26 May. Shortly after returning the USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier was again awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Navy Unit Citation, and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.
In February 2004, USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier entered a ten-month DPIA (Docked Planned Incremental Availability). Major systems overhauled included AC systems, Steam and CHT (sewage) systems, 1MC (announcing) systems, communication, navigation, and detection suites, weapons elevator overhauls, Propeller replacement, hull cleaning and painting, and sea valve replacement, to name a few. USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier came out of the dry-dock in August and completed its availability in December 2004 with all four catapults operational and certified, a first for a carrier.On 1 September 2005, USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier deployed for a routine six-month mission to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. This deployment was notable in that it was the last cruise for the F-14 Tomcat before its scheduled retirement in 2006. The TR carried two Tomcat squadrons, VF-31 (Tomcatters) and VF-213 (Black Lions). This was also the first cruise of a Nimitz Class carrier with the Type II Generic I&C Reactor Plant Control Console. Ports of call included Majorca (Palma), Spain; Naples, Italy; Dubai, UAE; Marmaris, Turkey; and Corfu, Greece. Theodore Roosevelt returned to home port 11 March 2006.
Shortly after this cruise, USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier earned the "Jig Dog" Ramage Carrier and Carrier Air Wing Operational Excellence Award, which is a Navy-wide award that is selected jointly by Type Commanders (TYCOM) and is presented to the Carrier/Air Wing team with the best performance as an integrated unit.
On 7 March 2007 the USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier began a nine month Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) in Norfolk, which saw the addition of RAM missiles among other upgrades. The ship returned to Naval Station Norfolk on 28 November 2007.
CVW-8 and USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier participated in Joint Task Force Exercise 08-4 Operation Brimstone off the coast of North Carolina between 21 July and 31 July 2008. The British carrier HMS Ark Royal, the amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima with associated units and the Brazilian Navy frigate Greenhalgh (F-46) and the French submarine Améthyste also participated in the event.
USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier left Norfolk on 8 September 2008 for a scheduled deployment to the Middle East. Embarked were Carrier Air Wing 8 with strike fighter squadrons VFA-15, VFA-31, VFA-87 and VFA-213; tactical electronics warfare squadron VAQ-141; carrier airborne early warning squadron VAW-124; and helicopter anti-submarine squadron HS-3. On September 27th, 2008 the carrier took part in the line-crossing ceremony, an old Navy tradition that takes place when a ship crosses the equator.
On October 4th, 2008 USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier stopped at Cape Town, South Africa. This was the first visit to Cape Town by a nuclear-powered vessel since the German cargo ship Otto Hahn in the 1970s. Due to poor weather, approximately half of the ship's crew was unable to go ashore on liberty. The ship made four subsequent port stops in Jebel Ali, UAE, including one during the Christmas holiday. CVW-8 and CVN-71 supported Operation Enduring Freedom and flew more than 3,100 sorties and dropped more than 59,500 pounds of ordnance while providing Close Air Support for ISAF-forces in Afghanistan.
On March 21, 2009 it was reported that the USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier was relieved by USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. On 04 April 2009 while returning to its home base the USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71 US Navy aircraft carrier anchored at 'C' anchorage at Spithead outside Portsmouth Naval Base. The carrier is too big to enter Portsmouth Harbour, the home of the Royal Navy. The vessel was scheduled to depart with her escorting missile destroyer USS The Sullivans on the morning of April 8, 2009. Among other tasks while anchored at Portsmouth, the crew were busily engaged in painting ship, sprucing her up in preparation for their arrival in the USA. The carrier arrived at Norfolk on April 18.
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