The Roosevelt
By _underway_in_the_Mediterranean_Sea_in_1971.jpg#/media/File:USS_Franklin_D._Roosevelt_(CVA-42)_underway_in_the_Mediterranean_Sea_in_1971.jpg)
USS Franklin Roosevelt. By USN – Public Domain
In light of the decision to retire the USS Harry S. Truman early, I wrote a short piece on one of the lesser-known USN fleet carriers…
Last month, the Navy shocked observers by proposing to retire the nuclear supercarrier USS Harry S. Truman from service some twenty years before expected. Given the gravity of this proposal, it’s worth reflecting on previous decisions to retire aircraft carriers before the exploitation of their full lifespans. In the mid-1970s, the U.S. Navy decided to retire the USS Franklin Roosevelt, a Midway-class aircraft carrier named in honor of President Truman’s predecessor. The Franklin Roosevelt was the first carrier named after a U.S. President, upon an order given by President Harry S. Truman.