The San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is loading up with extra food, retail products and hygiene items to avoid the kind of shortages that recently surfaced on its sister flat-top, the USS Abraham Lincoln, the Navy said in a video released this week.
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Iran damaged key U.S. supply and logistics posts in Bahrain earlier this year, forcing the Navy to acquire goods from more distant locations, notably tiny Diego Garcia in the central Indian Ocean.
Navy officials said the supply problems caused stress among crew members on the Lincoln, which has been on deployment for about 9½ months. The ship went nearly 270 consecutive days without a major port call.
The Lincoln is headed back to San Diego and is expected to arrive in early October. The Roosevelt is scheduled to leave Naval Air Station North Island on deployment this month, the Navy said.
In addition to stocking more food, sailors on the Roosevelt are “converting available spaces into additional storage, building the ability to remain self-sufficient for longer periods, especially when resupply may be difficult,” Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman said in the video.
There’s also a focus on improving the quality of life for sailors, said Chief of Naval Operations Vice Adm. Daryl Caudle.
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“That means new entertainment equipment on the mess decks, more durable fitness equipment, spare cardio machines ready for replacement, and even holiday materials purchased ahead of time,” he said.
Perryman added: “Small things matter during a deployment, because taking care of our sailors is part of maintaining our combat readiness.”
The Navy said it is also applying lessons learned from the Lincoln by working more closely with family liaisons to provide “reliable, consistent communication throughout the deployment,” Caudle said.
“That’s what a learning Navy looks like,” he added.
The Navy said that it is also applying lessons learned from a review of the problems that occurred on the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford during an 11-month deployment that ended in May.
A major fire broke out on the ship, destroying hundreds of bunks and personal belongings, and damaging crew morale. The Ford also had to deal with an array of maintenance problems.
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