SAN DIEGO (March 23, 2023) – U.S. Sailors man the rails on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), March 23, 2023. The ship changed its homeport from Bremerton to San Diego after completing an 18-month docking planned incremental availability in Bremerton, Wash., during which the ship received extensive restorations and upgrades to support the F-35C Lightning II, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, and CMV-22B Osprey, as well as future platforms such as the MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aircraft system. U.S. Navy photo by MC Krescent Peters

Carrier Theodore Roosevelt arrives in San Diego after docking period
by Ensign Jacqueline Cruz
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71)
SAN DIEGO - Aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) arrived at Naval Air Station North Island March 23 after completing a 18-month docking planned incremental availability (DPIA) at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF) and shifting homeport from Bremerton, Wash., to here.
Theodore Roosevelt’s arrival in San Diego was a homecoming for many of the crew. When the ship departed San Diego on July 16, 2021, for Bremerton, many families opted to stay in San Diego.
The ship’s commanding officer, Capt. Brian Schrum, thanked the Theodore Roosevelt family and friends for their strong support, and gave a heartfelt “Well done!” to the crew for their unflagging work in throughout DPIA and successfully returning the ship to the fleet.
“I’m amazed by and so grateful to our wonderful families whose constant support has helped us as a crew through the long maintenance period,” said Schrum.
“And to Theodore Roosevelt’s crew, your unrelenting work and resiliency over the past year and a half are the epitome of professionalism. You successfully carried us through this monumental maintenance as a team.”
The work done during DPIA significantly modernized the ship’s combat efficiency while also ensuring sustained operational readiness throughout its 50-year lifespan.
Upgrades included a flight deck systems retrofit, expanding the ship’s air dominance capabilities to support the F-35C Lightning II, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, and CMV-22B Osprey, as well as future platforms such as the MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aircraft system.
Other modernization efforts included installation of the machine gun system, and upgrades to an electronic warfare suite, consolidated afloat networks, ship self-defense system, surface search radar, and the fire control system. The crew habitability areas were restored.
“Our Sailors have put in a tremendous amount of effort over the past 18 months to get our ship back in the fight,” said CMDCM Oneil Lewis, TR’s command master chief. “Our crew is thrilled to be back in beautiful San Diego. This is a community that values our Sailors and provides us with countless resources. We look forward to continuing the outstanding relationship between San Diego and ‘America’s Big Stick.’”


Military News | Navy News | USS Theodore Roosevelt returns to San Diego from Bremerton after docking period