USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) departed Apra Harbor to continue its scheduled deployment in the Indo-Pacific, June 4. The ship left Naval Base Guam and entered the Philippine Sea manned and ready to provide maritime security, maintain freedom of the seas in accordance with international law and customs, and operate with international partners and allies to promote regional stability and prosperity. Theodore Roosevelt is on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. The ship pulled into Apra Harbor, Guam, on March 27 and immediately implemented a phased and methodical approach to address a COVID-19 outbreak among its crew.
After successfully recovering the ship and the crew, then proceeding to requalify the air wing via carrier qualification, the Theodore Roosevelt team recovered the rest of the crew fit for the mission from the shore, flying the iconic words of James Lawrence ‘Don’t Give Up The Ship’ flag from the port yardarm, representative of the ‘fighting spirit’ of the U.S. Navy Sailor. The carrier operates under a newly implemented COVID-19 standard operating procedure which establishes the guidelines, responsibilities, and procedures for the prevention and mitigation of COVID-19. The crew has modified numerous procedures including how they transit through the ship, expanded meal hours, and created new social distancing procedures.
When Theodore Roosevelt departed from Naval Base Guam, they manned the rails as a gesture of gratitude and thanksgiving to honor the people of Guam, the service members, and civilians who supported the recovery of the crew during the COVID-19 pandemic. Theodore Roosevelt is the nation’s fourth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier with a crew of nearly 5,000 Sailors who support and conduct air operations at sea. Theodore Roosevelt departed San Diego for a scheduled Indo-Pacific deployment January 17.
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is the fourth Nimitz-class nuclear powered aircraft carrier in the United States Navy. She is named in honor of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States and a proponent of naval power. She is the fourth ship named in honor of Theodore Roosevelt, three bearing his full name and a fourth with just his last name. Another three U.S. Navy ships have “Roosevelt” in their names in honor of members of the Roosevelt family. This carrier’s radio call sign is “Rough Rider”, the nickname of President Roosevelt’s volunteer cavalry unit during the Spanish–American War. She was launched in 1984, and saw her first action during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
