European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 16, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                M thursday february 16, 1989 the stars and stripes a Yhtier . Role at sea predicted 6th Fleet super carriers spell Power projection by Gary Miller Mediterranean Bureau aboard the Theodore Roosevelt America s seagoing might will enjoy an enhanced role As political and financial pressures take a toll on land based . Forces in foreign countries the commander of the Navy s 6th Fleet believes. The Navy itself will increase in importance vice adm. James d. Williams said As the political realities and economic Burden of foreign bases causes some draw Down around the world on foreign Basing of .military  and at the heart of those enhanced floating forces Williams said will be super carriers like the Theodore Roosevelt capable of relatively rapid Power projection into any hot spot. In fact the presence of both the carriers John f. Kennedy and Theodore Roosevelt in the Mediterranean last month was enough to spark fears that the United states planned to attack an alleged chemical arms production Plant outside the libyan capital. Lending to that tension was the Downing one week before the Roosevelt s arrival of two libyan Mig fighters by a pair of . Navy f-14 tomcats. Repeated claims by the . Government that the Roosevelt s presence in the med was routine have been borne out with time but the incident illustrates Wil Liams Point. The people of the Mediterranean appreciate the Power projection of the Carrier he said because if something happens in the Eastern end you know How Long it would take us to head to the Eastern end of the med As Long As it would take me to Call. And say we be just had a crisis in the Eastern med. Go " the newest edition to the Navy s Fleet of Nimitz class Power projectors the $2.3 billion Theodore Roosevelt now is blowing the lanes of the med on it first full deployment. Many of the Crew have been with the ship since before its commissioning when the 1,092-foot Flattop was Little More than a keel. And that initial mix of men and Metal will Impact the Roosevelt Long after it is a seasoned member of the . Fleet. The pre commissioning people still on Board Are very paternal said master chief Petty officer Jack l. Breedlove the Roosevelt s command master chief. We Are going to set the mood of this ship for the next10  the pre com sailors who number about a third of the ship s Crew of nearly 6,000, believe the ship is theirs and that they have to take care of it and the newer Crew members he said. One result of that pre com paternal attitude is the school of the ship a two week course for new arrivals designed to counteract the culture Shock most people experience Early on. The school introduces new sailors to financial medical safety and operational issues. It s really informative said Seaman Michael e. Haas a recent graduate. It Breaks people in  As the Roosevelt s Crew developed into a team the ship took on the people and machines of Carrier air a line of a-6 intruders is silhouetted on the huge flight deck of the aircraft Carrier Theodore Roosevelt. Is Gary Miller Wing 8. Despite living and working at close quarters the Crew seems to be in Good spirits Breedlove says. Most of the Crew enlisted men and officers Haven t been to sea before Breedlove said. But there Aren t any problems and most of them have smiles on their faces. They re Happy to be Here. Ask me in five months and i May have a different answer but i Don think  chief Petty officer Stephen l. Mccallister said when they first arrived it was a matter of them against us now it s us " one of the reasons for the ship s close quarters is the Roosevelt s unique air Wing Structure. The ship brings with it into the Mediterranean an additional Squadron of a-6e intruders the first such expanded Wing Tobe deployed on a . Navy Carrier. The 86 aircraft in the Roosevelt s Wing include f 14s, the a-6es and Fa-18 hornets As Well As the e-2c Hawkeye Early warning radar planes and the ea-6b prowlers that provide airborne electronic defense. But the Wing has created space problems. The ship was designed in the 60s for use in the 80s and 90s," Breedlove said. It was designed for nine squadrons and the Wing has 10. Squadrons have work centers in passageways. A Lack of space is a  the flip Side of the trouble is the extra punch the Squadron gives the ship. With the mix of on Board aircraft the Roosevelt has More striking Power than other carriers that have plied the med according to capt. John f. Manning jr., chewing commander. For example the a-6s, combined with the 20 Fa-18 fighter bombers on Board mean As Many As 40 bomb ers can be launched from the Carrier s 4 /2-acre flight deck. On the other hand when More fighters Are needed As Many As 40 fighters Are available by using the a 18s As fighters with the Carrier s 20 f-14s," Manning said. Despite the tactical advantage the expanded Wing Likely will be the Only one in the Navy since funding for More a-6s has been Cut. From the defense budget. In time of War a major concern of the Carrier is defending itself from submarines a threat Williams says should be the top priority of training on the deployment. Anti submarine warfare on the Roosevelt Falls to s-3a Viking planes and sh-3 sea King helicopters. I have lots of submarine exercises planned for the Battle group Williams said. They la probably get More submarine training Here in the med than they Nehad in their whole career in any  training in the med is made More difficult because of the limited amount of air space compared to operating in the Pacific or the Atlantic so you have to be much More careful where you Fly Williams said. During its deployment the Roosevelt and its Battle group will work with the Spanish French israelis turks italians and moroccans. And despite problems with some nations in the re Gion we have Good relations with most of the coun tries around the med Williams said. Political expediency often prevents National leaders from publicly praising the . Fleet s stabilizing effect on the Region he said. However such leaders often privately express their appreciation. That is not lost on our friends around the Mediterranean or our potential  Roosevelt s Galley gastronomy rated As 3-Star and Var  to la run i 1" Var in my or. A.T,.T. Aboard the Theodore Roosevelt Cooling heels for a hot meal can cause problems on an aircraft Carrier where a Crew of nearly 6,000 can sail through 21,000 sittings in a single Day. No one knows that better than chief warrant offi cer 2 Leon Cole King of the kitchens aboard the air Craft Carrier Theodore Roosevelt during its current deployment in the Mediterranean. To help the Crew get out of line Cole and his staff offer a 24-hour Chili bar and something they be dubbed the rough rider san Juan Grill and Delica Tessen which features Glass and brass stand up eat ing stalls adorned with scenes from Teddy Roose velt s life. All told Roosevelt sailors have a Choice of 11 entrees served at five different locations at any Given time. And As another morale boosting pro Gram Cole has introduced a formal dinner each month for Crew members celebrating birthdays. This is my third Carrier and compared to the other two this is a lot better said Petty officer 1st class Roy Shelton an electronics technician assigned to the Carrier s attack so 36. The facilities seem to be better and they have a lot of added  although he can stand the heat Cole routinely gets out of the Kitchen spending hours walking through the ship s varied dining facilities and other eateries. You have to get out and tend to the custom ers needs and try to anticipate their wants Cole said. The Only Way you can do that is by being on the deck. When the Cooks labor Over a meal the Crew shows its appreciation. When i walk from my office to the Forward Galley and i see 75 men and 70 wave i know we re doing our  although the Roosevelt is a new ship Cole has had More than three years to whip the kitchens and cooking Crew into shape. He reported to the Roose velt s pre commissioning unit in 1985 As a Petty officer first class made chief and was then selected for commission As warrant officer. Cole the move normally would have meant a Transfer to another command but Cole won permission to stay on As food services officer and see the Roose velt out to sea. I helped open the mess. It was in the growing stage and i Felt i had much More to do Cole said. I wanted to see a lot of the Guys make Petty officer. I saw a lot of them go from Seaman recruit to second class Petty  the Guys mess management specialists in Navy terminology number 58, or one Cook for every 100or so diners. It s a big Challenge knowing you re going to have to feed 6,000 men and still look out for the Cooks to let them know they re Worth something Cole said. We have Young people straight out of Boot Camp their first time out of the country work ing 13 to 14 hours a  for his part Cole said he gets up when i Roll Over and go to bed when i m  and indications Are Cole and his staff Are doing something right the Roosevelt is a finalist in the Navy s 1989 capt. Edward f. Ney memorial award a Competition for food service excellence. By Gary Miller