THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 13, 1995 TAG: 9509130399
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short : 30 lines
The aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt will forgo a port visit in the Mediterranean Sea and should return to Norfolk on schedule Sept. 21, the Navy said Tuesday.
The ship was to leave the Adriatic Sea late Tuesday or before dawn today to begin the long trip home, a spokesman said. It should pass through the Strait of Gibralter on Friday.
The Roosevelt's return will end a six-month deployment in which the ship has played a leading role in NATO airstrikes in the former Yugoslavia. The Norfolk-based carrier America arrived in the Adriatic last week to relieve the Roosevelt, and planes from both carriers hit Bosnian targets over the weekend.
The Roosevelt's recent action has sparked concern among relatives of some crew members that the ship might not return on time. A spokesman suggested that storms in the Atlantic could slow the ship but that current forecasts indicate it should be able to make the crossing on schedule.
Other ships in the Roosevelt's battle group also should return on time, the spokesman said. by CNB