U.S.S. THEODORE ROOSEVELT CVN71

U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)
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Career (United States)

Name: U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt
Namesake: Theodore Roosevelt
Ordered: 30 September 1980
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding Company
Cost: $4.5Êbillion in 2007 U.S. dollars.
Laid down: 31 October 1981
Launched: 27 October 1984
Commissioned: 25 October 1986
Homeport: Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia
Motto: Qui Plantavit Curabit (He who has planted will preserve.)
Nicknames: ''TR'', ''Big Stick''
Status: in active service, as of 2010

General characteristics

Class and type: Nimitz class aircraft carrier
Displacement: 104,600 long tons (117,200 short tons)
Length: Overall: 1,092 feet (332.8 m)
Waterline: 1,040 feet (317.0 m)
Beam: Overall: 252 ft (76.8 m)
Waterline: 134 feet (40.8 m)
Draft: Maximum navigational: 37 feet (11.3 m)
Limit: 41 feet (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 distance; 20 years
Endurance: Limited only by food and supplies
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
AN/SPN-46 air traffic control radars
AN/SPN-43C air traffic control radar
AN/SPN-41 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

The U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) (also known by crewmembers as ''the Big Stick'' or within the navy simply as ''TR'') is the fourth Nimitz class supercarrier. Her radio call sign is Rough Rider, the name of President Theodore Roosevelt's volunteer cavalry unit during the Spanish American War. She was launched in 1984, saw her first action during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, and is currently homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.

Design and construction

Roosevelt and those Nimitz class vessels completed after her have slight structural differences from the earlier carriers (Nimitz and Eisenhower), and improved protection for ordnance storage in her magazines.

TR's history began on 30 September 1980, when a contract was awarded for ''Hull 624D'' to Newport News Shipbuilding. Her keel was laid down on 31 October 1981, with Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger initiating the first weld. On 3 November 1981, Secretary of the Navy John F. Lehman announced that the carrier would be named for the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt.

TR was the first aircraft carrier to be assembled using modular construction, wherein large modules are independently constructed in ''lay-down'' areas, prior to being hoisted into place and welded together. Modular construction, made possible through the use of a huge gantry crane capable of lifting 900 tons, cut 16 months off TR's construction time, and the techniques has have been used on every aircraft carrier since. The Navy's Pre Commissioning Unit (PCU) was formed in February 1984, with Captain Paul W. Parcells named the Commanding Officer. On 27 October 1984 the ship was officially christened by Mrs. Barbara Lehman, wife of Secretary Lehman. On 25 October 1986, Theodore Roosevelt was commissioned to active service at Newport News.

Service history - Maiden Deployment

After sea trials and pre-deployment work ups, Theodore Roosevelt started her maiden deployment on 30 December 1988 with Carrier Air Wing Eight embarked. The ship patrolled the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, and Persian Gulf prior to returning on 1 June 1989. Theodore Roosevelt was awarded the 1989 Battle ''E'' from Commander, Naval Air Force U.S. Atlantic Fleet on 20 March 1990.

1990s - Gulf war
On 28 December 1990, Theodore Roosevelt and CVW-8 deployed for Operation Desert Shield, arriving in the Persian Gulf on 9 January 1991. With the commencement of Operation Desert Storm on 15 January 1991, Theodore Roosevelt began combat operations; eventually flying over 4,200 sorties (more than any other carrier) and dropping more than 4,800,000Êpounds of ordnance before the cease fire on 28 February. When Iraqi forces turned on the Kurds, Theodore Roosevelt 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.

1993 - 1999
Theodore Roosevelt and began her third deployment on 11 March 1993, again with CVW-8 embarked. Also embarked was a Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF), in a test the concept of embarking a multi-purpose Marine force in a carrier. While the ship was still in the Virginia Capes operating area, President Bill Clinton flew aboard for several hours for his first visit to a U.S. Navy ship. TR operated in 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, Theodore Roosevelt was ordered instead to 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, Theodore Roosevelt spent 169 days under way prior to return in September 1993. For the accomplishments of her crew, the ship received her second Meritorious Unit Commendation. From November 1993 to April 1994, Theodore Roosevelt conducted a Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY), completing ahead of schedule. On 10 March 1994, Theodore Roosevelt 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.

Theodore Roosevelt and CVW-8 began their fourth deployment in March 1995, operating in the Red Sea in support of Operation Southern Watch over Iraq, and 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. The Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group returned to Norfolk, Virginia in September 1995 and was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for its Bosnia operations. Theodore Roosevelt deployed for her fifth deployment on 25 November 1996, with CVW-3 embarked, in support of Operation Southern Watch in the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf. The ship returned from deployment in May 1997. On 8 July 1997, Theodore Roosevelt entered the Newport News Shipbuilding yard for a one year Extended Drydock and Selected Restricted Availability (EDSRA), her first major overhaul since commissioning. Theodore Roosevelt returned to her homeport of Norfolk Naval Station on 2 July 1998.

TR underway in 1999

From 1 February to 4 March 1999 Theodore Roosevelt participated in a large navy exercise called JTFEX / TMDI99 along with the Brazilian navy and several NATO navies. During the exercize Theodore Roosevelt was 'sunk' by a Dutch submarine called the Walrus (2) along with 8 other U.S. ships, many of which were part of Theodore Roosevelts ecorts.

Theodore Roosevelt began her sixth deployment on 26 March 1999 with CVW-8 embarked. They were immediately called to duty in the Ionian Sea to support NATO's Operation Allied Force. Theodore Roosevelt 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. Theodore Roosevelt returned to her homeport of Norfolk, Va., on 24 September 1999. On 10 January 2000, Theodore Roosevelt entered a Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) at the Norfolk Naval Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia for a six month maintenance period.

2000s
After the 11 September attacks, Theodore Roosevelt 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 from the North Arabian Sea. Theodore Roosevelt spent 159 consecutive days at sea, breaking the record longest period underway since WWII. Theodore Roosevelt returned to her homeport 27 March 2002, and was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation, 2001 Battenberg Cup, and 2001 Battle E. From April to October 2002, TR conducted a Planned Incremental Availability maintenance period at Norfolk Naval Ship Yard.

Theodore Roosevelt got underway on 6 January for a scheduled month long training period in the Puerto Rican Operating Area. Near the end of January, TR received orders to proceed across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea. Strike Fighter Squadron 201, based at Naval Air Station Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, was ordered to active duty as a unit of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8, the first Naval Reserve squadron to deploy aboard an aircraft carrier since the Korean War. TR arrived on station in the Eastern Mediterranean in February. On 22 March 2003 Theodore Roosevelt, along with U.S.S. Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), began launching air strikes into Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. TR returned home on 26 May, and was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation, the Navy Unit Citation, and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.

On 19 February 2004, TR entered a ten month Docked Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA) at NNSY in Portsmouth. 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. TR came out of dry dock in August and completed the maintenance availability on 17 December 2004.

On 1 September 2005, TR deployed with Carrier Air Wing Eight embarked for a routine six-month mission to the Persian Gulf in support of OIF., transiting the Suez Canal on 27 September and launching OIF missions beginning 6 October. This deployment was the last cruise for the F-14 Tomcat before its retirement in 2006. The TR carried two Tomcat squadrons, VF-31 (Tomcatters) and VF-213 (Black Lions). Theodore Roosevelt returned to home port on 11 March 2006. Shortly after this cruise, the TR 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 Teddy Roosevelt 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 Theodore Roosevelt 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 H.M.S. Ark Royal, the amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima with associated units and the Brazilian Navy frigate Greenhalgh (F-46) and the French submarine AmŽthyste also participated in the event. Roosevelt left Norfolk on 8 September 2008 for a scheduled deployment to the Middle East with Carrier Air Wing Eight embarked. On 4 October 2008 the ship 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 21 March 2009 Theodore Roosevelt was relieved by the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower. The carrier arrived at Norfolk on 18 April. On 26 August 2009 defense contractor Northrop Grumman was awarded a 2.4Êbillion dollar contract for Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) of Theodore Roosevelt.