HAVE YOU CHECKED THE HOME PAGE FOR THE LATEST INFO?
I have managed to resurrect some of the Guest Books from the previous FDR Websites. There are some that are lost forever but this is the best there is at the moment. There is a lot of good stuff there.
Click on the year you want to view. Click on the left arrow at the top of your browser to return to this page.
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006-09
MISUSE OF INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN COULD BE AN INVASION OF PRIVACY!
Sign in using the comment form at the bottom of the page and please leave a valid email address. It will NOT be viewable to visitors! If you want to hear from your shipmates leave your email address IN THE MESSAGE ALSO.
SO
Please put your email address in your message so your shipmates can get back to you (if they can remember you).
There is software on board that makes it unreadable to the “bots” who collect that sort of stuff.
All entries must be approved before they will appear in the book. Any inappropriate entries, as well as those with invalid email addresses, will be deleted and will not appear. I check daily so don’t despair if your entry doesn’t appear immediately.
Due to a rash of automated spam messages we now use “captcha” authentication. Just enter the “captcha” code and then SUBMIT. Don’t worry about upper or lower case….either will work. If you have trouble reading it just click the little button to the right and it will “refresh”. Thanks!
Many shipmates have told me, via email, about having visited this site. Oddly many have not left entries here for their shipmates to see. THEY do wonder how you are and probably would love to hear from you. This is a great way get back in contact.
REMEMBER….THE ONLY WAY FOR YOUR SHIPMATES TO GET IN CONTACT WITH YOU IS HAVING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR MESSAGE
For YOUR protection – No home phone numbers or addresses please. Please save that for when you make email contact.
REMEMBER….IF YOU WANT TO BE CONTACTED MAKE SURE YOU PUT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE BODY OF YOUR MESSAGE
Robert Wendling. Glad you liked pictures brings back old times remember hydo test for pressure.
Robert Sand, thanks for sharing pics of BT spaces. Looked like R Wiseman has been in the firebox scraping tubes. I was a FN then and got plenty practice on tubes and up in the steam drum.
I served aboard the Rosie from March of 73 to October of 73 when I got a medical discharge for developing multiple sclerosis which put me in a wheelchair. I went on the Med cruise and the only incident of any interest I had was when we had only just arrived in Barcelona Spain and me and a few friends had not been ashore more than 2 hours when we ran into some MPs that told us to get back to the ship and that there had been an emergency recall. After another 7 or 8 hours we were back out to sea and the captain came over the loadspeakers to say that Israel had just been attacked by a coalition of Arab states and we were heading into the area. As it turned out this was the start of the 73 Arab-Israeli war.
Seeing this site brings back some awesome memories of some of the greatest times of my life. Many years ago I lost all of my mementoes, photos and everything including my British Naval cap that I traded for with one of the crewmembers of the HMS Ark Royal when she came for a visit to Mayport and docked right behind the Rosie. As it turned out that was her last cruise as she was decommisioned and scrapped not long after returning home. The only thing I managed to save was my web belt with my USS FDR belt buckle and the only reason that was saved was because I always wore it and still do to this day. The buckle has a figure of the Rosie on it and her name engraved underneath and it means more to me than anything else I own.
I’m so glad to have found this site and I’m proud to have served aboard the old girl even though my time aboard had been cut short. God bless and take care!
Fine website; the photos bring back memories, particularly the shot taken during the Bay of Biscay storm. I Served on FDR during the 1971 and 1972 cruises; catted off in late November 72 to CONUS at expiration of enlistment. I was an ATN in VA 87 (A-7s) and worked as a plane captain during the 71 cruise, later an avionics troubleshooter. During the 72 cruise I was in the avionics shop (WorkCenter 610) servicing the ARC 51, ARR-69 and ARA 50 systems.
BUCKET OF BOLTS?! Well I never!
Joseph Johnson, AKA J BYRD
Mr. Johnson, I am trying to locate a man who served in the Cats(green shirts) from 1971 to 1974. I only know his first name was Frank.
Thank you
William (Bill) DeHart
wwbpi53@yahoo.com
I served on the Rosey from 1971 to 1974. Trying to locate Phil Dyer. If he would email me, I would like to see if he could help me find someone. Thank you
was electrician mate 2nd class,heavy power.63-67.new e mail address,would like to hear from anyone that served on that buckets of bolts,just kidding great ship,great shipmates
I served with Carl Fowler (AE3) with vaw-121 cruise of 1975 jan 3 to jul 16. Don’t know if you remember me, I was an amsan. Did remember ae3 Dinizio.
I served as a radarman/operations specialist 71-73. Worked in CIC. Took the long 72 Med cruise.
Reported aboard Rosey in December 1974 fresh out of YN “A” School to then VA-15 (Valions) at NAS Cecil Field. They flew me out to Rosie from NAS Cecil Field, Jacksonville, FL. I’ll never forget us circling around Rosie; we must have circled around 20 times before going for the landing and finally trapping. Rosie looked so big from the air and I couldn’t help but wonder how people could live and work on a ship out in the middle of the ocean. After we trapped, PN2 Foss greeted me and we went below first to the O-2 level where the Admin Office was. I met PN1 Pendley and the gang and then Foss took me to the berthing. On the way to the berthing (which was in the aft part of Rosie) a plane trapped, and I yelled and made myself a part of the deck. Foss was laughing his ass off and told me to calm down that it was just an aircraft trapping like I just did in the Cod. Rosey was my first ship, and I fell in love with the ship itself, not really the crew, after reading her history, and how she was the biggest ship in the world when first built, it made me really appreciate Rosey; she was truly a carrier of “firsts.” During the 1975 cruise, I would also fall in love with the crew. I found out that Rosie was the least capable of the carriers, but it seemed she never stopped “doing” and making firsts. After the end of that cruise, in which we didn’t visit many ports, I kept tabs on Rosie. Our squadron and CVW-6, which was on Rosie in 1975, was transferred to the USS America. Rosie made one more cruise after 1975 and incidentally, Rosie relieved USS America in 1976 as we stopped in the Harbor at Rota, Spain. She looked so beautiful and seemed to be newly painted, and we had heard rumors that this was her last cruise and crew. I’ll never forget that the America’s Captain went on the 1MC and announced that the Rosey was in the Harbor, and for everyone to go topside. It was as if She was a celebrity; there were hundreds and I’ll bet over a thousand Sailors taking pictures of Rosie and getting a glimpse of her for the last time. I miss that “Midway Class” silhouette, and most of all the ship itself and the great crew from 1975. But Rosey still lives in all the Sailors that served onboard her.
YNC(AW) Coston (Retired) – 1974 – 1994
I’d like to revise my time line on my last entry. Dad was aboard the Franklin D. sailing from New York, and not Norfolk like I originally thought.
My Dad, Charles L. Smith, served on the Franklin D. during her shakedown cruise out of Norfolk, going across the North Atlantic, down to Rio, I do not know the exact date.
I have no idea his rank, but I know he was pulling wheel chocks on the deck, as the planes warmed up for take off.
Having never been in the military, I have no idea about the pride you folks felt serving aboard a great ship, and the closeness of shipmates.
I do not know any names of Dad’s shipmates, but if one of you recognizes his name, e-mail me and I’ll get you his address.
Back again ;will return again.Does the heart good.
I served on the Rosie from 1967 – 68 in the “R” Division
Seperated December 68 – DC 3
Hi guys, my Dad, Jim Petrozza served sometime between ’49 and ’55. He’s passed now but spoke about those years and the men he served with often and with pride. Cheers to you all!
Teresa
I made the final cruise aboard the Rosie as part of VF-51. It was interesting that an entire West Coast airwing was called upon to participate during the last performance of her career. We were told that the Roosevelt could only handle F4N’s. We never transitioned to the F4J for that reason. After talking with many former F4 drivers, the only thing that we know is that avionics equipment aboard the ship may have been the reason. If anyone knows the actual reason, please advise. It is a historical note that this was the only time an AV8A squadron made a deployment aboard a CV. Presently I’m a docent aboard the USS Midway in San Diego and every time I go aboard, I’m reminded of the time spent aboard the Rosie. As a kid in Jacksonville watching the Roosevelt go to sea during the fifties, I never dreamed that I would make the last cruise on this great ship.
ADC Jim Stephens (USN Retired)
I served in A-4gang (air conditioning) Nov. 1961 to Feb 4 1965. I have been
trying to find the guys that served in that time frame. I have a 1964 Med cruise book
I don`t have a 62 or a 63. (Young and dumb). I would like to hear from anyone that
was in A division from 61 till 65
Made the Med cruise of 3 Jan. to 16 July 1975. I was an E3 serving with the VAW-121 Griffins.
Thanks Robert Wendling. Brought back memiories i was in 1-c-1 boilerroom from1962-66 remember doing firesides which was getting very dirty.
Thanks to Robert Wendling for his pictures. I’m sure we crossed paths. I was in 1A Boiler room 1966-1969 and 1C 69-70
1972-1975 transfered to the USS Ranger PC3 and wroked in the Post Office. Still have my FDR book, with old pics of everyone. I work in the Post Office up here in Anchorage, Alaska. I train employees how to drive the Postal Vehicles when I’m not delivering the mail. I bring this up, because one of the guys was talking aboput the cruise coming back and the storm we went through. He was on board the Rosie same time I was. Thomas was his last name. Small world… even up here in Alaska. I enjoyed traveling, and places we were able to visit. Moving of the mail, and flights. The Navy helped me grow from an 18 year old kid who didn’t have a clue to be a man, that I found out what I was capable was. Life is too short, take care and God Bless. Fish on!!
I left the roosevelt to convert to missile tech in may of 1964. I was CS2; Now retired MTC
Godspeed; fair winds; following seas
was on the Rossie IN 1964-1965 IN THE S-3 DIV. WORKED IN THE MAIN SHIPSTORE DURING THE 64 MED CRUISE. DISCHARGED IN FEB 65 FROM JACKSONVILLE I WAS ON THE INTREPID 1961-1964 TRANSFERED FROM THE INTREPID TO ROSSIE WITH ANOTHER SK FROM INTREPID HIS NAME WAS BILL O’NEIL FROM LONG ISLAND NY. LOOKING FOR ANY OLD SHIPMATES FROM THEN THANKS BILL
Straight out of boot camp to the FDR in April 1951 to late 1954. Spent the best years of my life with 10 great Aerographers and travels to foreign ports. Three have passed on but still keep in touch with 6-7 others to this day. Fifty-eight years ago and I still consider them fellow shipmates. Those that have never experenced military life will never know the depth of friendships that have passed them bye. My Navy buddies will always be among the first in my memories!