USS Theodore Roosevelt

[Steve_B]

I have been told that the American Aircraft Carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt will be arriving off Portsmouth at around 0430 on Saturday 4th April. She is planned to stay for about 5 days and will be anchored in Stokes Bay.

Whilst I dont think I will be out at 0430, I think it will make one hell of a cruise over to see, the weather looks good for the Sunday.


displacement: Approx. 97,000 tons (98,556.67 metric tons) full load
length: 1,092 feet (332.85 meters)
beam: 134 feet (40.84 meters); extreme width: 252 feet (76.8 meters)
speed: In excess of 30 knots (34.5+ miles per hour)
complement: 3,950 crew
aircraft: 85
armament: Two NATO Sea Sparrow launchers; four 20mm Phalanx CIWS mounts (so dont get too close!!)
class: Nimitz

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by 250kts

I have been told that the American Aircraft Carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt will be arriving off Portsmouth at around 0430 on Saturday 4th April. She is planned to stay for about 5 days and will be anchored in Stokes Bay.

Whilst I dont think I will be out at 0430, I think it will make one hell of a cruise over to see, the weather looks good for the Sunday.


displacement: Approx. 97,000 tons (98,556.67 metric tons) full load
length: 1,092 feet (332.85 meters)
beam: 134 feet (40.84 meters); extreme width: 252 feet (76.8 meters)
speed: In excess of 30 knots (34.5+ miles per hour)
complement: 3,950 crew
aircraft: 85
armament: Two NATO Sea Sparrow launchers; four 20mm Phalanx CIWS mounts (so dont get too close!!)
class: Nimitz

Some piece of Kit! saw its sister off the Texas coast a few years ago,made a believer outa me! puts the SUPER in 'Super power' apparently tracked 24/7 by Russian Nukes..back in the Cold war days anyway.Well worth seeing,and you dont even NEED to get close!

[Bigmuz7]

Is she Nuke powered ?

[TonyC]

Yep, She has two Nuclear reactors (as if one wouldnt be enough, lol)

[ollyit]

awesome!!! a must see!

[PeterM]

If I can convince the wife & kids to come along I'm up for a look to see. I alway sused to see them when I lived in Lee on Solent & Portsmouth & oddly the city fill up with US sailors - who in my experience were always 1 st class & polite etc

will you be going from Xch or closer ?

Tides look OK for me on Sunday 5th - out by 10.30 ish & back in anytime after 3 pm .

Do you know if there will be restrictions on how close you can get ?

[Steve_B]

Like you, if I can convince crew to come along Sunday would suit. Can I let you know on Saturday?

There will be some sort of exclusion zone, but how big, I dont know. It will be very well enforced!

[Trevor G]

I'm hoping to get a crew together as well - but for me Saturday will probably be better but with a later start - probably launching from up the Hamble around midday. (Got to do Richard's footy match first with a 9.00 am kick-off in Crowthorne!). If this plan fails maybe I'll be Sunday as well!.
Anyone else considering Saturday afternoon?
Trevor

[TonyC]

QUEEN'S HARBOUR MASTER PORTSMOUTH
LOCAL NOTICE TO MARINERS
No 11/09
Visit Of A Nuclear Powered Vessel To The Solent 4 - 8 April 2009

1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Queen’s Harbour Master Portsmouth that between 4 and 8 April 2009 a nuclear powered military warship will conduct a formal visit to Portsmouth. During this period, the nuclear vessel will be anchored at “C Anchorage” in the Central Solent.

2. Mariners are advised that the nuclear vessel is deemed to be “a vessel constrained by her draught” as defined under the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS Rule 3(f) and 18) and is to be considered a vessel which can safely navigate only within a narrow channel or fairway (COLREGS Rule 9) at all times when underway within the Dockyard Port of Portsmouth.

3. Mariners are further advised that LNTM 40/05 (Dormant Exclusion Zone for Underway Warships) will be activated for the entry and departure of the nuclear vessel. In summary all vessels except those involved in the escort are to remain 250 metres clear of the nuclear vessel whilst it is underway. VTS Southampton, acting with QHM’s authority, will direct commercial traffic to keep outside this zone. Warning broadcasts will be made on VHF Channels 11, 12 and 16 as appropriate and the escort vessels will show blue flashing lights.

4. Whilst at anchor there will be a 250 metre Exclusion Zone in place around the nuclear vessel, which will be enforced by Ministry of Defence Police. Only vessels authorised by QHM will be allowed to enter this zone.

5. For the duration of the visit, miscellaneous service craft will be berthed alongside the nuclear vessel and mariners passing C Anchorage should amend their passage plans to ensure they avoid the restricted area. Vessels navigating in the vicinity are to maintain a listening watch on VHF and are to be aware of the effects of their wake and are to reduce speed accordingly.

6. Cancel this Local Notice To Mariners Thu 9th Apr 2009 (7 days)

[Steve_B]

For the duration of the visit, miscellaneous service craft will be berthed alongside the nuclear vessel and mariners passing C Anchorage should amend their passage plans to ensure they avoid the restricted area. Vessels navigating in the vicinity are to maintain a listening watch on VHF and are to be aware of the effects of their wake and are to reduce speed accordingly.


C Anchorage is mid way between Stokes Bay and Ryde

[BassBoy]

So....the Obamas are going home by sea!

[Bigmuz7]

Originally Posted by TonyC

Well if its similar to the treatment we get up here at Faslane, I'd say take heed .. anyone entering (or even getting close to) the zone may/will get boarded at gun point, and you will have your personal effects taken, especially cameras if you have them and your vessel will be searched.. that said 250m is pretty close for something that big

[Bigmuz7]

Originally Posted by BassBoy

So....the Obamas are going home by sea!

No.. I believe its a back up... of a back up.. and has all his medical requirements aboard, with a safe get away method amongst all the others he has

[PeterM]

Originally Posted by Bigmuz7

Well if its similar to the treatment we get up here at Faslane, I'd say take heed .. anyone entering (or even getting close to) the zone may/will get boarded at gun point, and you will have your personal effects taken, especially cameras if you have them and your vessel will be searched.. that said 250m is pretty close for something that big

I'd hope th MOD etc take a sensible view - they are plonking a big bit of intersting steel in the middle of one of the busiest bits of leasure water in the world - it will attract attention.

As long as folk are sensible it should be fine. Blimey they are taking the escort into the harbour - you can almost spit on it from the round tower !

[codprawn]

It's all crap - they should apply common sense - if you don't wear a towel on your head and you don't have a beard what sort of threat are you? There aren't many Celtic/Saxon suicide bombers around are there???

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Blackroady

I'd hope th MOD etc take a sensible view - they are plonking a big bit of intersting steel in the middle of one of the busiest bits of leasure water in the world - it will attract attention.

As long as folk are sensible it should be fine. Blimey they are taking the escort into the harbour - you can almost spit on it from the round tower !

Seems a regular occurence down here, but so long as the fleet is spending there pocket money in the pubs and shops don't think anyone will mind.

Pete

[Tim M]

Originally Posted by Blackroady

I'd hope th MOD etc take a sensible view - they are plonking a big bit of intersting steel in the middle of one of the busiest bits of leasure water in the world - it will attract attention.

As long as folk are sensible it should be fine. Blimey they are taking the escort into the harbour - you can almost spit on it from the round tower !

Is it actually going into the harbour? Would be a tight fit!

[PeterM]

No Tim - just the escort cruiser going in . I do recall watching one of the US battleships ( old WW2 ) go in ( maybe USS IOWA or same class ?) the entrance when I was a kid in the 80's - that was as close as you could get without hitting both gosport & portsmouth at the same time - very very impressive !

Still that was a time when the RN had a good number of movements in & out daily - so another big grey thing didn't get noticed too much !

[Trevor G]

Has USS Theodore Roosevelt arrived yet? It's 07.30 on Saturday morning and I was intending to go and have a look today - but thought I'd check on AIS-live.co.uk to make sure she had arrived.
As she should be just a bit too big to miss, I'm assuming that either she isn't in Portsmouth yet - or more likely warships don't broadcast their position for everyone to see live! Before I set off can anyone confirm that she's there? If it was sunny I'd go anyway but in the cold drizzle....
Thanks. Trev

[Poly]

Originally Posted by codprawn

It's all crap - they should apply common sense - if you don't wear a towel on your head and you don't have a beard what sort of threat are you? There aren't many Celtic/Saxon suicide bombers around are there???

I'm not sure if you were being sarcastic or just racist! Don't think the 7/7 bombers wore either towels or beards! You don't have to be a suicide bomber to threaten the security of the vessel and its occupants. I would prefer that the first celtic/saxon suicide bomber (or nutter who's just flipped) didn't sink a vessel with two nuclear reactors and a host of weapons on it - especially on our doorstep. I am sure that the anti-nuclear mob would happily cause it disruption and damage too. In fact for them getting close enough that they could detonate a device is probably enough for their propoganda machine to say "see we could have blown it up - these things are disaster waiting to happen".

OK so its impressive - but why do the public need to get close to it?