TR Trains to Rejoin Fleet with Readiness Exercise

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW) Brian G. Reynolds, USS Theodore Roosevelt Public Affairs

NEWPORT NEWS, Va (NNS) -- Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) participated in a third readiness exercise Jan. 22 to train Sailors to safely fight the ship as TR prepares to rejoin the operational fleet.

During the exercise, the entire crew stayed on the ship overnight in order to simulate a day at sea.

While aboard, the crew trained on several routine underway evolutions, including line handling, sea and anchor detail, a man overboard drill and a general quarters drill, to ensure the crew is qualified and the carrier is ready to proceed safely to sea.

"Right now, while we are coming out of refueling and complex overhaul [RCOH], is a great opportunity for us to form the habit patterns that will determine how we actually respond during a real situation," said Capt. Mark Colombo, TR's executive officer. "If we do these things well enough and often enough, they become muscle memory. These exercises will give us the opportunity to form those basic habits."

TR is simulating these underway conditions while the ship is completing its final year of midlife RCOH at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division Huntington Ingalls Industries.

"Some of the things that we do can be dangerous tasks," said Ens. William Boll, TR's boatswain. "The only way that we can make this a less dangerous task is through training. That way everyone knows where they are supposed to be and what they are supposed to do."

During the line handling evolution, the ship's Deck department simulated mooring to a pier - a fairly routine evolution while underway. However, the exercise did not go without risk involved.

"This line that we are using can be very dangerous," said Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Quinton Thorpe, a Sailor with TR's 1st Division. "The line can snap back at the speed of light. So we have to be very careful."

"This isn't your standard three-inch line," said Boll. "This gives our guys the experience of maneuvering these big mooring lines around."

The final exercise of the evening was a general quarters drill (GQ). During the drill, TR Sailors simulated fighting fires during a combat situation.

"Every drill is a plus for us," said Chief Warrant Officer Noel Genao, TR's fire marshal. "Every evolution that we do, we learn something. We were doing a lot of things that we didn't see during the last GQ. But, overall, I think that it went well."

This is the third exercise of this kind for TR as the crew prepares to rejoin the operational fleet. The readiness exercises are scheduled to be held bimonthly for the foreseeable future.