USS Roosevelt (CVN 71) - Naval Cruise Book

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Still Makin Histor Naval Aviation Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt, in 1898, presented a plan to study the military uses of a flying machine designed by Samuel P. Langley. Langley's machine failed and the request was put aside. On November 14, 1910, seven years after the first flight by the Wright brothers, a civilian airplane builder and a civilian pilot proved to the Navy that aviation could go to sea. Eugene Ely flew a Curtiss biplane from a platform erected on the cruiser Birmingham, an- chored in Hampton Roads fTop Rightj. In World War I Naval Aviation successfully protected convoys from German U-boats. During the last 10 months of the war Ameri- can convoys protected by Naval aircraft did not lose a single ship to German U-boats. The greatest single stride in the history of Naval Aviation was made on March 20, 1922. USS LANGLEY CCV-ll was converted from a collier to become the world's first aircraft carrier. On board LANGLEY Navy pilots learned how to conduct flight operations at sea. The first generation of tailhooks got their training on her deck. By the beginning of the 1930's the Navy had made great strides in the field of aviation. USS RANGER CCV-41 fCenter Rightl, the first ship built from the keel up as an aircraft carrier, was commissioned in 1934. As the threat of war increased in the late 1930's Navy planes were ordered to establish neutrality patrols to protect the American coast. When war did strike it was from the air. The attack on Pearl Harbor demonstrated the power of sea-based aircraft. Naval Aviation came of age during World War Il with advances in night flight and airborne radar. In the years after World War Il the Navy began the jet age . The advent of jet aircraft and super-carriers spurred Naval Aviation. The USS FORRESTAL QCV-59l, commissioned in 1955, became the first aircraft carrier designed for use with jet aircraft. Six year later the the world's first nuclear powered aircraft carrier, USS ENTERPRISE CCVN-65l, was commissioned. World tensions and global problems through the 60's and 70's again proved the need for Naval Aviation. The versatility, mobility and power of the Navy's air arm has allowed rapid response during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War, and has been important in combatting world-wide terrorism. USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT CCVN-71l has new and more sophisticated electronics and aircraft. The ship and the crew are proud of the tradition of Naval Aviation excellence and stand ready to respond to any call. i i i

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Facts About CVN-71 Type of Vessel Builder Keel Laid Christening Commissioning Propulsion Speed Length of Flight Deck Widest Point Height Area of Flight Deck Number of Aircraft Weight Total Crew lair wing embarkedl Weight of Anchors Weight of Anchor Chain Height of Propellers Weight of Propellers Number of Telephones Structural Steel Weld Metal Length of Electrical Cable Nuclear Aircraft Carrier V Newport News Shipbuilding October 31, 1981 October 27, 1984 October 25, 1986 Two Nuclear Reactors Over 30 Knots 1092 Feet 257 Feet 244 Feet 4 1 f 2 Acres Approximately 90 Aircraft 97,000 Tons Over 6200 30 Tons Each C2 anchorsl 360 Pounds Per Link 21 Feet Each Q4 propellersl 66,200 Pounds Each Over 2,000 60,000 Tons Over One Million Pounds About 900 Miles

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Theodore Roosevelt: meriean Idealist Theodore Roosevelt was born on October 27, 1858 in New York City. As a child he struggled against frailty, nearsightedness and asthma. His love of reading helped foster a love of nature and the outdoors. He also began exercising vigorously and developed a life- long interest in what he called the strenuous 1ife.', TR entered Harvard at 18 intent on becoming a naturalist. As a senior he began work on a book, The Naval War of 1812 TR graduated 21st in a class of 177 in 1880 and married Alice Hatha- way Lee. After graduation, at the age of 22, Theodore Roosevelt joined New York City's 21st District Republican Club and was elected to the New York Assembly. TR's mother died of typhoid and his wife died two days after giving birth to their daughter, Alice in February 1884. TR left New York to regain his strength and confidence at the Elkhorn Ranch in the South Dakota Badlands. Returning to New York City in 1886, TR ran unsuccessfully for Mayor. That same year he married Edith Kermit Carow, who would bear him five children. Political service to Benjamin Harrison won TR a seat on the Civil Service Commission in 1889. He gained national attention by staging a fight against favoritism. Roosevelt's position: Government jobs should go to the most qualified appli- cants. In 1895 Roosevelt left the Civil Service Commission and took the post of New York City Police Commissioner. As Commissioner TR fought Democrats and Republicans to establish a merit system for appointments and promotions on the police force. TR was appoint- ed Assistant Secretary of the Navy in 1897. He immediately began building the strength of the United States Navy. During the 1898 Spanish-American War, TR resigned to do battle. He organized the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, the Rough Riders and saw action in Cuba. Returning from Cuba a hero, Roosevelt was elected Governor of New York in 1899 and quickly resumed his work for reform. He tightened control of sweatshops and pushed for government super- vision of utilities and insurance companies. TR angered the Republi- can bosses who were now torn between a desire to get TR out of their hair and a wish to exploit his vote-getting vigor. Their solution: Bury TR in the Vice-Presidency. TR became the running mate of President McKinley in the elec- tion of 19001 His colorful campaign and popularity increased McKin- ley's margin of victory. On September 6th, 1901, President McKin- ley was assassinated. One week later TR was sworn in as the 26th President of the United States. In his first year as President, TR took action on his calls for reform by suing the Nothern Securities Company. He pressed on with suits against trusts in the beef, coal and sugar industries. Theodore Roosevelt was also active and interested in conserva- tion. He set aside 150 million acres for national use, doubled the number of national parks, and created 16 national monuments. In 1902 TR moved boldly to create the Panama Canal. He mediated a peace which brought an end to the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, which won him the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1907 TR sent a flotilla of 16 American battleships around the world. The Great White Fleet was as TR remarked, , . . the most important service I ever rendered to peace. ' In 1909 TR left the White House and began a Smithsonian- sponsored African safari, bagging more than 500 animals and birds. TR was back in politics for the 1912 election. However TR's Bull Moose party never gained the support needed to bring him the i Presidency again. . With the outbreak of war in Europe TR stumped hard for the Liberty Bond drive, but with the death of his son, Quentin, in 1918 TR's spirit began to wane. In the early morning of January 6th, 1919, Theodore Roosevelt died. Death had to take him sleeping, said Vice President Thomas R. Marshall, for if Roosevelt had been awake, there would have been a fight. Theodore Roosevelt was the first President to fly. He was also the first President to submerge on a submarine. As Assistant Secretary of the Navy he supported research and development in carrier aviation. In naming CVN-71, former Secretary of the Navy John F. Leh- man said of Theodore Roosevelt, He was one of the architects of our modern Navy. He personified the vigor and vision of America. His complete faith in the necessity for and the value of a strong Navy has been fully justified by the most recent history. I V