USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)
History of the USS Theodore Roosevelt Aircraft Carrier
The USS Theodore Roosevelt was ordered for the U.S. Navy on September 30, 1980. Her keel was laid down by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Virginia on October 31, 1981. She was launched on October 27, 1984 and commissioned on October 25, 1986.
For her maiden deployment, USS Theodore Roosevelt departed on December 30, 1988 with Carrier Air Wing Eight embarked. She was awarded the Battle E in March 1990. That December, she got underway for the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. The carrier flew over 4,200 sorties and dropped nearly 5 million pounds of ordnance before the cease-fire was ordered on February 28, 1991. She joined coalition forces for Operation Provide Comfort when the Iraqi forces turned on the Kurds, conducting air patrols over northern Iraq. The aircraft carrier returned home to Norfolk, Virginia on June 28.
In 1992, the USS Theodore Roosevelt won her second Battle E and the Battenburg Cup for 1991. She headed out for her third deployment on March 11, 1993 with the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF) embarked. The carrier was host to President Bill Clinton’s first visit to a U.S. Navy ship before sailing to the Adriatic Sea for Operation Deny Flight, enforcing the no-fly zone over Bosnia. In June, she headed to the Red Sea for Operation Southern Watch to enforce the no-fly zone over Iraq. She earned herself a second Meritorious Unit Commendation for her accomplishments.
USS Theodore Roosevelt put in at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia for overhaul in November 1998. Once her yard work was completed in April 1994, she found herself the recipient of more awards, including the Golden Anchor Award, her third Battle E and her second Battenburg Cup. While conducting carrier qualifications in November, she made a port call at St. Maarten.
In March 1995, the USS Theodore Roosevelt headed back to the Red Sea to support Operation Southern Watch. During this deployment, she also supported Operation Deny Flight, Operation Sharp Guard and Operation Deliberate Force. The aircraft made port calls in Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Greece and Italy. She hosted King Hussein of Jordan for a VIP tour of the ship and later obliged Oprah Winfrey with a tour. The carrier was awarded her third consecutive Golden Anchor Award in 1996.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt returned to the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf in November 1996 for further Operation Southern Watch duty. She put in at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company of Virginia for a major overhaul the following July. The carrier received her fifth Golden Anchor Award in February 1998 before returned to her homeport in Norfolk the following year.
For her sixth deployment, USS Theodore Roosevelt got underway for the Ionian Sea on March 26, 1999 in support of NATO Operation Allied Force, conducting air strikes over Kosovo. She then returned to the familiar duties of Operation Southern Watch before sailing home to Norfolk, Virginia in September.
From January 7 until June 30, 2000, the USS Theodore Roosevelt entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard for planned maintenance and overhaul. She then took up her inter-deployment training cycle, which lasted until August 2001.
When terrorists attacked the United States on September 11, 2001, USS Theodore Roosevelt deployed eight days later to launch initial air strikes against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom. The aircraft carrier spent 159 consecutive days at sea, breaking the record for the longest period underway since World War II. When she arrived home in March 2002, she was awarded the Battle E, the Battenberg Cup and the Navy Unit Commendation.
Over the next few years, the USS Theodore Roosevelt continued to support Middle East operations, including Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Along the way, she also visited Crete, Slovenia, Spain, Italy, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Greece and South Africa. The carrier has undergone several maintenance and upgrade periods. Among her more recent awards are the Meritorious Unit Commendation, Navy unit Citation, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and the “Jig Dog” Ramage Carrier and Carrier Air Wing Operational Excellence Award. The aircraft carrier is still serving in active duty as of July 2009.
The use of asbestos was common in shipbuilding components for much of the 20th Century because of its tolerance to heat, fire, corrosion and other elements. Because of their exposure to asbestos onboard ship and in the shipyards, many Navy veterans are at risk for developing asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma .
Sources include:
John Hedley-Whyte and Debra R Milamed, "Asbestos and Ship-Building: Fatal Consequences," Ulster
Med. J. 77(3):191-200 (Sep 2008)
The Official Website of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)
