USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)

USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) (also known by crewmembers as "the Big Stick" or within the US Navy simply as TR) is the fourth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. Her radio call sign is Rough Rider, the name of President Theodore Roosevelt's volunteer cavalry unit during the Spanish–American War. She was launched in 1984, saw her first action during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

Controversies

Initially, U.S. President Gerald Ford cancelled the order for CVN-71 in 1976 and substituted two CVV-type medium-sized, conventional-powered carriers that were expected to operate V/STOL aircraft. The existing T-CBL design formed the basis for the new CVV, serving as a replacement for the aging Midway-class aircraft carrier, while capable of operating all existing conventional carrier aircraft. This capability to operate conventional aircraft proved important as the hoped-for supersonic V/STOL fighters did not come to fruition at the time. In any case, construction of the proposed CVV medium-sized carrier never took place.