TR Departs Dubai

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kris R. Lindstrom, USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) Public Affairs

ARABIAN GULF (NNS) -- The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) made its third port visit of her 2015 deployment when she pulled in to Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, June 7-11.

TR Sailors and Marines enjoyed a few days of relaxation before TR pulled back out to sea for another stretch of underway operations.

Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) offered an assortment of events for Sailors to enjoy including visits to Atlantis water-park, Ferrari World indoor theme park, desert safaris, sand boarding, camel rides, and an Abu Dhabi city tour.

Funboss, Megan Villapudua, who previously visited Dubai three times while on deployment with the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65), was excited to provide crew members with multiple entertainment opportunities while the ship was in port.

"I think the tours went really well," said Villapudua. "I think Dubai had more exciting tour options than Bahrain. Sunset safari was the big one. Everyone that I talked to really enjoyed it. I believe that is the ultimate Dubai experience."

Electronics Technician 3rd Class Amanda Craig echoed Villapudua's sentiments.

"Sunset safari was definitely my favorite part because you really got the whole experience," said Craig. "They had the ride over the sand dunes, camel rides, dancers, hookah lounges, cultural food; it was really an all-encompassing look into Dubai, and they executed it perfectly."

Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Nicole Lowery participated in a variety of tours while in Dubai and highlighted her day at Atlantis water-park as one of the most enjoyable aspects of the port call.

"Atlantis was a lot of fun," said Lowery. "We stayed there for like six hours. It was just such a beautiful place. I enjoyed the adrenaline rush from the rides and it was also cool to see all the different kinds of people there."

Sonar Technician (surface) 3rd Class Jason Hatke, another MWR tour-goer, credited the tours with exposing him to people from around the world.

"I was able to teach a little Australian girl how to sand-board," said Hatke. "That is one of those things I will remember for the rest of my life."

Whether it was exploring the exotic cities or just cruising the sand dunes, Personnel Specialist 3rd Class Osckar Santiago believes it was the time spent with shipmates that mattered most.

"The best part was spending time with all our friends," said Santiago. "Relaxing, eating, and enjoying life ... we were enjoying a little time off before getting back to reality."

Theodore Roosevelt is the flagship of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (TRCSG), which is composed of Carrier Strike Group 12, Carrier Air Wing 1, Destroyer Squadron 2 staff, the guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) and the guided-missile destroyers USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), USS Farragut (DDG 99) and USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98).

Roosevelt is deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, strike operations in Iraq and Syria as directed, maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the region.