Posted on 04/20/2015 12:39:58 PM PDT by elhombrelibre
NAPLES, Italy — The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt entered Navy 6th Fleet waters in Europe on Monday for operations on its way to the Middle East.
The Roosevelt heads a carrier strike group that comprises five ships and more than 6,000 sailors and Marines. The group departed the East Coast last week for an anticipated eight-month deployment. It is expected to relieve the USS Carl Vinson strike group, currently conducting airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.
The Roosevelt will end its tour in its new home station of San Diego, part of a three-carrier shift to bring the USS George Washington back from the Pacific for nuclear refueling.
The Roosevelt will take the place of the USS Ronald Reagan, which is currently based in San Diego but will steam to Yokosuka, Japan, this summer to replace the George Washington. The original Reagan crew will bring the Washington stateside for its overhaul and then rotate onto the Roosevelt in San Diego.
The rare crew shift has already inspired a “Three Presidents” logo, designed by a Reagan crewmember.
In Europe, the Roosevelt will work with partner nations, conducting maritime security operations and making port visits.
Carrier Air Wing 1 out of Virginia Beach is embarked on the Roosevelt. The other ships of the strike group are the guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy and guided-missile destroyers USS Farragut, USS Forrest Sherman and USS Winston S. Churchill.
The Navy’s latest airborne early warning aircraft is making its maiden deployment as part of the cruise. Five E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes, which use radar and electronic surveillance to provide a picture of a carrier’s operating area, are assigned to VAW 125, an early warning squadron attached to Carrier Air Wing 1. The new aircraft has a more powerful radar than its predecessor, the E-2C.
"In Europe, the Roosevelt will work with partner nations, conducting maritime security operations and making port visits."
Is it carrying $50 billion in cash for Iran?
Is this kind of crew swapping normal?
Almost sounds as if someone wants crews on ships they aren’t familiar with.
Is this a valid concern, or do others see it that way?
>> Is this a valid concern, or do others see it that way?
I’ve long been prayerfully concerned for ALL of our military men and women under the leadership of the evil that is Barack Obama and his administration.
Wow, the Navy’s really taking the whole sea-swap thing to an extreme with this, isn’t it?
Sounds like Reagan goes to Japan, swaps crews with the Washington. The Reagan crew (now on Washington) then takes over the Roosevelt when it comes into San Diego, and then the Roosevelt crew takes Washington around South America to refueling in Newport News VA.
Should be interesting, given that there are differences between the ships. Altho all “Nimitz” class the Roosevelt is lumped into a subclass with Nimitz, Ike and Vinson, while Washington is in a subclass with Lincoln and Reagan in yet another subclass with Bush. The product of the 10 members of the class having been built over a span of 40 years.
My biggest fear is he will let our military get set up for a huge defeat.
Perhaps a Navy guy can check-in with the details but how do they avoid ship and career qualifications requirements when doing these crew changes plus fleet assignment changes?
“Make ready the yellow dye!”
(From the CinC, not the captain.)
It’s done a bit. Last big one was swapping out the Bonhomme Richard for Essex as the forward deployed LHD in Japan. Couple years back, I think.
Used to happen quite a bit with the old Sprucans as they were being retired.
Never with CVNs tho. But the costs of moving families between coasts and overseas is probably a lot more expensive than retraining on particular ship differences.
I share that sentiment.
I know this is an incredibly diabolical thought, but do you ever wonder “exactly what” they discussed at the U. S. Iranian negotiations?
Anything out of the normal perks my ears up these days.
Basically the ship changes hands. All the personnel stuff stays the same. I assume that the Roosevelt crew (the one based in Norfolk) will be pretty much split three ways when they bring Washington to Newport News, some will stay on Washington, others will go to Lincoln (coming out of refueling and back into active service) and some will go to Ford (entering service). To a lesser degree some of the crew will go to other assignments in the Norfolk area.
This is kinda what happens when a carrier goes into refueling anyways. The contractor (Newport News) has the ship for little over three years and a big part of the crew gets dispersed to other assignments.
The Navy says that the Vinson was relieved by the Big Stick last week.
http://www.gonavy.jp/CVLocation.html
No, it is not normal at all. Usually a crew stays with their ship wherever she goes.
Awful lot of information on deployment in this article. What happened to ‘loose lips sink ships’?
OK, thanks...BTW, that was supposed to be “carrier”, not “career.” Hate when I do that...
Depends on the costs involved with moving dependents.
There are 3200 sailors (ships company, not airwing) deployed to Japan on Washingon. Another 3200 in Norfolk on Roosevelt and yet another 3200 on Reagan in San Diego.
Keeping the crews with their ships would entail moving those 9600 sailors’ households to the ships’ new homeports. Iow logistically difficult and prohibitively expensive.
Why does this have all the markings of Obama appearing to get tough on Iran to show that we are still against them even though we are giving them nukes.
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