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U.S.S. FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

(CV-42)

WE CAN

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USS Franklin D. Roosevelt was commissioned on Oct. 27, 1945 and served until October 1977. She was built at the New York Navy Yard. After her initial shakedown voyage, she was deployed with the Eighth Fleet in spring 1946 for major training exercises. Her first deployment to the Mediterranean came later that same year.

As the Cold War began to escalate, she regularly participated in operations with the Sixth Fleet near Southern Europe. She regularly carried conventional and nuclear-armed aircraft. In October 1952, she was reclassified as an attack aircraft carrier. This changed her hull number to CVA-42. From 1954 to 1956, the ship went through a modernization on the US west coast. In November, 1956, the new and improved aircraft carrier returned to the east coast.

For the next decade, Franklin D. Roosevelt made several return trips to the Mediterranean. In March 1961, the ship recorded the 100,000th landing on her deck. The only cruise to the Western Pacific came in late 1966 through early 1967. She underwent a further modernization and then returned to the Mediterranean for many more voyages through the 1970’s. In June 1975, her hull number changed again to CV-42. After completing her 23 voyage, the ship was decommissioned.

CV-42 Deployments - Major Events

Add a CV-42 Shellback Initiation Add a CV-42 Deployment - Major Event
Month Year to Month Year Deployment / Event
DEC1943-Keel Date: 1 DEC 1943
at New York Naval Shipyard
APR1945-Launch Date: 29 APR 1945
OCT1945-Commissioned: 27 OCT 1945
JAN1946-MAR1946Middle Pacific
JAN1946-Shellback Initiation - 28 JAN 1946 - Atlantic Ocean
AUG1946-NOV1946Mediterranean
SEP1948-JAN1949Mediterranean
SEP1951-MAR1952Mediterranean
JUN1952-JUL1952Caribbean
JUL1952-DEC1952Blue Nose - Arctic Circle
JUL1952-JUL1952Guantanamo Bay
SEP1952-OCT1952Arctic Circle / Scotland / England / Portugal
SEP1952-SEP1952Blue Nose - Arctic Circle
SEP1952-DEC1952Mediterranean-Lebanon
JAN1953-DEC1953Mediterranean
MAY1953-NOV1953Mediterranean
JAN1954-MAR1954Norfolk-Brazil -UruguayArgentina-around Horn-Peru Panama-S.F.-B
JAN1954- Shellback Initiation - 13 JAN 1954 - Atlantic Ocean
JAN1954- Shellback Initiation - 10 JAN 1954 - Atlantic Ocean
JAN1954-JAN1954Shellback Initiation
JAN1956-NOV1958Mediterranean
JUL1956-Shellback Initiation - 7 JUL 1956 - Pacific Ocean
JUL1957-MAR1958Mediterranean
FEB1959-SEP1959Mediterranean
MAR1960-SEP1960Mediterranean
OCT1960-JAN1961Dry Dock
MAR1961-OCT1961Mediterranean
JAN1962-JAN1963Mediterranean
MAR1962-MAR1962Caribbean
AUG1962-APR1963Cuban Missle Blockade
SEP1962-APR1963Mediterranean
SEP1962-APR1963Mediterranean
MAY1963-DEC1963Dry Dock
APR1964-DEC1964Mediterranean
APR1964-DEC1964Mediterranean Cruise
APR1964-DEC1964Mediterranean
NOV1964-NOV1965Decommisioning
JUN1965-DEC1965Mediterranean
JAN1966-FEB1967West Pac-Viet Nam
JAN1966-JAN1968West Pac-Viet Nam
JAN1966-FEB1967West Pac-Viet Nam
JAN1966-MAY1966Caribbean
JAN1966-JAN1968West Pac-Viet Nam
FEB1966-SEP1966West Pac-Viet Nam
JUN1966-AUG1967Cape Horn
JUN1966-FEB1967West Pac-Viet Nam
JUL1966- Shellback Initiation - 4 JUL 1966 - Pacific Ocean
JUL1966- Shellback Initiation - 4 JUL 1966 - Atlantic Ocean
JUL1966- Shellback Initiation - 26 JUL 1966 - Atlantic Ocean
JUL1966-Shellback Initiation - 26 JUL 1966 - Atlantic Ocean
JUL1966-Shellback Initiation - 4 JUL 1966 - Atlantic Ocean
AUG1966-JAN1967West Pac
JAN1967- Shellback Initiation - 22 JAN 1967 - Indian Ocean
JAN1967-Shellback Initiation - 22 JAN 1967 - Indian Ocean
AUG1967-JUN1968Mediterranean
JAN1968- Shellback Initiation - 3 JAN 1968 - Atlantic Ocean
JAN1970-JUL1970Mediterranean
JAN1970-AUG1970Mediterranean
JAN1970-AUG1970Mediterranean
JAN1971-JUL1971Mediterranean
JAN1972-APR1972Mediterranean-Indian Ocean
FEB1972-DEC1972Mediterranean
APR1972- Shellback Initiation - 13 APR 1972 - Indian Ocean
APR1973-SEP1973Dry Dock
SEP1973-MAR1974Mediterranean-Indian Ocean
SEP1973-MAR1974Mediterranean
SEP1973-MAR1974Mediterranean
JAN1975-JUN1975Mediterranean
JUL1976-FEB1977Mediterranean
OCT1976-FEB1977Mediterranean
OCT1976-MAY1977Mediterranean
SEP1977-Decommissioned: 30 SEP 1977

CV-42 General Specifications

Class: Midway-class aircraft carrier

Named for: Franklin D. Roosevelt

Complement: 4104 Officers and Enlisted

Displacement: 45000 tons

Length: 968 feet

Beam: 113 feet

Flank Speed: 33 knots

Final Disposition: Scrapped



USS FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT (CV-42)



Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42) was launched 29 April 1945 by New York Naval Shipyard as Coral Sea (CVB-42); sponsored by Mrs. John H. Towers wife of the Deputy Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet; renamed Franklin D. Roosevelt 8 May 1945; and commissioned 27 October 1945 Captain A. Soucek in command. She was reclassified CVA-42 on 1 October 1952.


During her shakedown cruise Franklin D. Roosevelt called at Rio de Janeiro 1 to l1 February 1946 to represent the United States at the inauguration of the Brazilian president Eurico G. Dutra who came aboard for a short cruise. Fleet maneuvers and other training operations in the Caribbean preceded her first deployment to the Mediterranean from 8 August to 4 October during which she was a part of a U.S. Navy force which visited Athens to bolster the government of Greece during its successful f ight against the Communist. She received thousands of visitors during her calls to many Mediterranean ports giving Europeans an opportunity to view this impressive addition to America's seapower for peace. The first opportunity for general visiting by the American public came at New York City during Navy Day celebrations of late October.


Franklin D. Roosevelt operated off the east coast until July 1947 when she entered Norfolk Naval Ship Yard for a prolonged overhaul during which she received improvements to her equipment and facilities. On 13 September 1948 the carrier sailed from Norfolk for a second tour of duty with the Mediterranean forces from which she returned 23 January 1949. During the next 5 years Franklin D. Roosevelt took part in intensive operations off the Virginia Capes along the east coast and in th e Caribbean and made four tours of duty in the Mediterranean. Assigned to extensive conversion at Puget Sound Naval Ship Yard the carrier sailed from Norfolk 7 January 1954. Too large to pass through the Panama Canal she rounded Cape Horn and arrive d at the shipyard 5 March. She was decommissioned there 23 April 1954.


In February 1957 Franklin D. Roosevelt sailed to the Gulf of Maine for cold weather tests of catapults aircraft and other carrier equipment including the "Regulus" guided missile. In July she sailed for the first of three post-conversion cr uises to the Mediterranean completed through 1960. Her assignments in the Mediterranean added NATO exercises to her normal schedule of major fleet operations and found her each year entertaining a distinguished list of guests. A constant emphasis on he r stateside operations was development of advanced tactics and procedures.

[Note: The above USS FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT (CV-42) history may or may not contain text provided by crew members of the USS FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT (CV-42) or by other non-crew members and text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]