Coronado-based aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is preparing for a seven-month long deployment to the Middle East as the U.S.-Israel war with Iran wages on.
According to the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI), the Roosevelt will be relieving Japan-based USS George Washington, a carrier that was sent to take over for the USS Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln, another Coronado-based aircraft carrier, recently set a record for the longest deployment out at sea without a port call.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle told USNI that the Navy has learned a lot from the Lincoln’s deployment and has established a combat logistics force to make replenishing at sea more effective.
Caudle said he doesn’t think the Navy will see some of the challenges the Lincoln went through again, such as food shortages.
Commander Naval Air Forces has not released a statement as of Sept. 1 as to when the Roosevelt is expected to depart Naval Air Station North Island.
The Lincoln is heading back to its homeport at North Island, though the U.S. 3rd Fleet has not yet released an estimated date of arrival. The carrier spent almost nine months at sea without touching land, a grueling stretch that prompted widespread reports of mental health crises and food shortages aboard the ship.
The Lincoln docked in Thailand on Sept. 2, marking its first full port stop since it was deployed in November. It is scheduled to depart for San Diego on Sept. 6.
