Mom Follows the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)
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Mom had pneumonia and news gathering was put on hold until she recovered. Apologies for the time gap in news.
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Roosevelt becomes Navy's new Iron Man By JACK DORSEY, The Virginian-Pilot © February 20, 2002
A 22-year-old Navy record for the most days at sea -- 153 -- was broken Tuesday by the crew aboard the Norfolk-based carrier Theodore Roosevelt.
The TR remains deployed in the Arabian Sea flying combat missions over Afghanistan in the continuing war against terrorism. It has been at sea the equivalent of more than five consecutive months without a port visit.
For the crew, the at-sea record signifies that no one has set foot on any shore since leaving the pier at the Norfolk Naval Station.
The feat earned the 5,500 TR crew members a dinner of prime rib and king crab legs, as well as a hearty thanks from its captain Tuesday.
But beyond the special dinner and a cake-cutting ceremony, little else has gotten in the way of the carrier's critical war mission.
``It's not so much that we've been out here for so long as it is that this crew has done so exceptionally well over 153 days,'' Lt. John Oliveira, the ship's spokesman, said Tuesday by satellite telephone.
The TR left Norfolk Sept. 19 for what had been scheduled as a six-month deployment.
It is to be relieved by the Florida-based carrier John F. Kennedy, which was delayed several weeks after having to make $15 million in unexpected repairs. The Kennedy left East Coast waters late last week for deployment, which includes a 9,000-mile cruise to the Arabian Sea.
Previous endurance records include the Nimitz's 144 days at sea, set in 1979, when the carrier, then homeported in Norfolk, plied practically the same waters after the seizure of American hostages in Iran.
The Nimitz record was broken by the Norfolk-based carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower during its 1980 deployment to the same area; it spent 152 consecutive days at sea. On that deployment, the Eisenhower spent a total of 251 days away from home, according to Navy officials.
Even during World War II and the Vietnam War, when warships deployed for much longer than today's traditional six months, at least one port visit was the norm.
For the Roosevelt crew, Oliveira said his shipmates were ``very proud of this record. It does make it difficult,'' he said of the long stretch at sea, ``but I am just amazed that in my 17 years in the Navy that I still see people smiling.''
Smiles persist despite the crew putting up 60 to 80 combat flights a day. The ship's aviators and support crew routinely fly 14 hours a day; only 14 ``no fly'' days have occurred since they left.
``That says a lot about these young men and women and their dedication and commitment to their duty aboard TR,'' Oliveira said.
Navy officials have declined to set a return date for the TR. However, families are hoping it will be by Easter.
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TR ends record run at sea By JACK DORSEY, The Virginian-Pilot © February 28, 2002
NORFOLK -- Ending a record of 160 days at sea, the crew of the Norfolk-based carrier Theodore Roosevelt made it to port this week for the first time since leaving Norfolk in mid-September.
Meanwhile, various ships of the carrier John F. Kennedy battle group visited liberty ports in the Mediterranean Sea this week before heading on to war in the Arabian Sea to replace the TR.
For the Kennedy, as was the case with the TR, it could be the last port visit for some time.
Navy officials in Norfolk confirmed Wednesday that both carriers entered ports on Wednesday.
The Roosevelt entered Bahrain, a tiny island nation in the Persian Gulf where the United States has ship-maintenance and recreational facilities for military personnel.
On Feb. 19, the TR broke the record of 152 consecutive days at sea, set by the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1980.
It is not known whether the TR will visit another port on its way home, or whether it will forgo one in order to get back as quickly as possible.
The Kennedy arrived in Souda Bay, Crete, on Wednesday after completing a 4,500-mile trip from the Atlantic Coast in 12 days.
Although based in Mayport, Fla., where 2,935 members of its crew are assigned, the Kennedy also is carrying 2,000 members of Air Wing Seven, mainly from Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach and the Norfolk Naval Station.
Another Norfolk-based ship, the fast combat support ship Seattle, pulled into Agusta Bay, Italy, this week. Other battle-group ships made port in Valletta, Malta, and Aksaz, Turkey.
The Kennedy had been ordered to sea in mid-January, earlier than scheduled, to relieve the Roosevelt, which has been carrying on the war against terrorism in the Arabian Sea nearly nonstop since leaving Norfolk on Sept. 19.
However, unexpected repairs delayed the Kennedy's departure until Feb. 16.
Navy officials now say the Kennedy should be able to relieve the TR early in March, allowing the Roosevelt to arrive at home before Easter, a week to 10 days later than originally scheduled.
The Navy, for security reasons, will not officially confirm the TR's homecoming until it leaves the Mediterranean Sea and is firmly on a course for Norfolk.
Kennedy officials said the carrier's port visit this week will be ``very short'' and has not caused further delays in the Roosevelt's return.
The Kennedy, like all the ships in its battle group except for its two submarines, is conventionally powered by fuel oils and must depend on the Seattle for resupply. The Seattle also must stop for fuel at times.
``The Kennedy has been working hard to get over there, and this may be its last port visit in a while,'' said Lt. Cmdr. Joe Navratil, a spokesman for the Atlantic Fleet, headquartered in Norfolk.
While in Crete, Kennedy sailors are to participate in community outreach programs, such as cleaning beaches, painting elementary schools and singing at local hospitals.
``This will be a very short port call,'' said Command Master Chief Kevin Davis in a message to Kennedy families, ``but one that is definitely well deserved and we're excited we can get in here and do this.''
Tours of Souda Bay have been arranged by base officials for the sailors, Davis said. Basketball and soccer tournaments have also been set up for the sailors while in Greece.
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TR, relieved by Kennedy, due back by end of March
By JACK DORSEY, The Virginian-Pilot © March 8, 2002
The carrier John F. Kennedy officially relieved the carrier Theodore Roosevelt in the Red Sea on Wednesday, signaling the beginning of the TR's return to Norfolk in late March.
As one exuberant sailor pointed out in a message from the TR: ``We had it. You got it.''
In support of the war against terror in Afghanistan, the TR's air wing -- Air Wing One, based at Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach -- flew more than 10,000 sorties, dropped 1.7 million pounds of munitions and logged more than 30,000 flight hours, officials said.
For the first two months of its deployment, the air wing was asked to fly on a reversed schedule, taking the night shift, said Capt. Rich O'Hanlon the ship's commanding officer.
During the wartime deployment, the ship's sailors freed millions of Afghans from a repressive regime, helped topple the al-Qaida and Taliban goverment ``and made America a little bit safer,'' he said.
The handoff took place as the Kennedy, based in Mayport, Fla., and a half-dozen other ships in its battle group, met the TR and exchanged ammunition and other supplies.
The Kennedy left the East Coast on Feb. 16 to begin the 8,000-mile trip, which included a two-day port visit in Souda Bay, Crete.
``It's particularly satisfying for us to report on station and assume the watch,'' said Rear Adm. Steven Tomaszeski, the Kennedy's battle group commander.
``I know the men and women of the TR battle group are anxious to sail home to their loved ones. They've performed admirably in combat, and we're proud to take their place in Operation Enduring Freedom,'' he said.
The TR left Norfolk Sept. 19 for what was to be a six-month deployment. Although originally scheduled to return March 19, its expected arrival will be about 10 days late, just before the Easter weekend.
The TR will schedule a four-day port visit in the Mediterranean Sea before it starts its Atlantic Ocean crossing. The Navy has asked that the location of the port visit and the ship's arrival date not be disclosed for security reasons.
During its deployment, the TR and Air Wing One spent 159 consecutive days at sea without a port visit -- a post-World War II record -- breaking one previously held by the carrier Eisenhower in 1980.
It briefly visited Bahrain, a restricted port in the Persian Gulf, late in February to end that record.
The Kennedy's arrival in the Arabian Sea was delayed for unexpected repairs to the 33-year-old ship. The repairs came after after an inspection revealed problems with the ship's propulsion plant, aircraft elevators and catapults.
Accompanying the Kennedy are the guided-missile cruisers Hue City and Vicksburg, and the guided-missile destroyer The Sullivans -- all from Mayport -- the fast combat support ship Seattle and fast attack submarine Boise, both from Norfolk, and the fast attack submarine Toledo, based in Groton, Conn.
While a number of ships with the TR battle group are expected home later in March, three amphibious ships -- Bataan, Whidbey Island and Shreveport -- aren't expected in Norfolk until mid-April.
``Seeing the JFK is a signal that our contribution is over,'' O'Hanlon said. ``We did what we had to do, and now it's time to be with our families.''
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The USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN-71) has been awarded the Battle "E" Award for action overseas in the war on terrorism. We asked Rear Admiral Wick Parcells (USN - Retired), the first commanding officer of the carrier back in 1985, what the Battle "E" Award means. . .
The Battle "E" award is coveted because it is awarded to only one ship in any given class as being the finest in the fleet. It is measured in many different ways, the most important of which is combat capability. There are also individual departmental awards for achieving the same proficiency. Every one of TR's departments also won their respective awards. A so-called "Clean Sweep". To put it simply, TR was determined to be the best in the fleet in every category measured.
Way to go guys and gals!
Hurry HOME! We Love you!
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