USS Franklin D . Roosevelt ( CV - 42 ) USS " Franklin D . Roosevelt " ( CVB / CVA / CV - 42 ) was the second of three " Midway " class aircraft carriers . To her crew , she was known as the " " Swanky Franky " , " " " Foo - De - Roo " , " or " " Rosie " , " with the last nickname probably the most popular . " Roosevelt " spent most of her active deployed career operating in the Mediterranean Sea as part of the United States Sixth Fleet . The ship was decommissioned in 1977 and was scrapped shortly afterward . Early career . " Franklin D . Roosevelt " was constructed at New York Naval Shipyard . Sponsor Mrs . John H . Towers , wife of the Deputy Commander - in - Chief , Pacific Fleet , christened the ship " Coral Sea " at the 29 April 1945 launching . On 8 May 1945 , President Harry S . Truman approved the Secretary of the Navy ' s recommendation to rename the ship " Franklin D . Roosevelt " in honor of the late president . " Roosevelt " was commissioned on Navy Day , 27 October 1945 , at the New York Naval Shipyard . Capt . Apollo Soucek was the ship ' s first commanding officer . During her shakedown cruise , " Roosevelt " called at Rio de Janeiro from 1 to 11 February 1946 to represent the United States at the inauguration of Brazilian president Eurico Gaspar Dutra , who came aboard for a short cruise . During April and May , " Roosevelt " participated in Eighth Fleet maneuvers off the East Coast , the Navy ' s first major postwar training exercise . On 21 July 1946 , " Roosevelt " became the first American carrier to operate an all - jet aircraft under controlled conditions . Lieutenant Commander James Davidson , flying the McDonnell XFD - 1 Phantom , made a series of successful take - offs and landings as " Roosevelt " lay off Cape Henry , Virginia . Jet trials continued in November , when Lt . Col . Marion E . Carl , USMC , made two catapult launches , four unassisted take - offs , and five arrested landings in a Lockheed P - 80A . Fleet maneuvers and other training operations in the Caribbean preceded " Roosevelt " ' s first deployment to the Mediterranean , which lasted from August to October 1946 . " Roosevelt " , flying the flag of Rear Admiral John H . Cassady , Commander , Carrier Division 1 , led the U . S . Navy force that arrived in Piraeus on 5 September 1946 . This visit showed U . S . support for the pro - Western government of Greece , which was locked in a civil war with Communist insurgents . The ship received thousands of visitors during her calls to many Mediterranean ports . " Roosevelt " returned to American waters and operated off the East Coast until July 1947 , when she entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard for an extensive overhaul . At that time , her quad 40 mm Bofors anti - aircraft guns were replaced by 40 3 in ( 76 mm ) Mark 22 guns in Mark 33 twin mountings . From September 1948 to January 1949 , " Roosevelt " undertook a second tour of duty with U . S . Naval Forces , Mediterranean . In 1950 , " Roosevelt " became the first carrier to take nuclear weapons to sea . In September and October 1952 , she participated in Operation Mainbrace , the first major NATO exercise in the North Atlantic . " Roosevelt " operated with other major fleet units , including the aircraft carriers USS " Midway " , USS " Wasp " , and HMS " Eagle " , as well as the battleships USS " Wisconsin " and HMS " Vanguard " . " Roosevelt " was reclassified CVA - 42 on 1 October 1952 . On 7 January 1954 , she sailed for Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to undergo extensive reconstruction . Too large to pass through the Panama Canal , " Roosevelt " rounded Cape Horn and arrived at the shipyard on 5 March . She decommissioned there on 23 April 1954 . Refit . " Roosevelt " was the first of her class to undergo the SCB - 110 reconstruction , at a cost of $ 48 million . She received an enclosed " hurricane bow , " one C - 11 - 2 and two C - 11 - 1 steam catapults , strengthened arresting gear , an enlarged bridge , a mirror landing system , and a 482 ft ( 147 m ) angled flight deck . SPS - 8 height finding radar and SPS - 12 air search radar were mounted on a new tubular mast . The aft elevator was relocated to the starboard deck edge , the forward elevator was enlarged , and all elevators were uprated to 75 , 000 lb capacity . Aviation fuel bunkerage was increased from 350 , 000 to 450 , 000 gallons ( 1 , 320 , 000 to 1 , 700 , 000 L ) . Standard displacement rose to 51 , 000 tons , while deep load displacement rose to 63 , 400 tons . As weight compensation , several of the 5 inch ( 127 mm ) Mark 16 anti - aircraft guns were landed , leaving only 10 , and the 3 , 200 ton armor belt was removed . Hull blisters were also added to cope with the increased weight . " Roosevelt " recommissioned on 6 April 1956 . After post - refit trials , " Roosevelt " sailed for her new homeport of Mayport , Florida . In February 1957 , " Roosevelt " conducted cold weather tests of catapults , aircraft , and the Regulus guided missile , in the Gulf of Maine . In July , she sailed for the first of three consecutive Sixth Fleet deployments . Her assignments in the Mediterranean added NATO exercises to her normal schedule of major fleet operations , and found her entertaining a distinguished list of guests each year . During a 1958 mid - year overhaul , the 22 remaining guns were removed . On 24 October 1958 , " Roosevelt " supported USS " Kleinsmith " ( APD 134 ) in the evacuation of 56 American citizens and three foreign nationals from Nicara , Cuba , as the Cuban Revolution came to a climax . In late 1960 , the Control Instrument Company installed the first production Fresnel Lens Optical Landing System ( FLOLS ) onboard " Roosevelt " . She recorded her one hundred thousandth aircraft landing in March 1961 . During a 1963 overhaul , six more guns were removed . While operating in the Eastern Mediterranean in the fall of 1964 , " Roosevelt " lost a blade from one of her 20 ton propellers . She proceeded from Naples , Italy to New York with the number one shaft locked . After replacing the propeller at Bayonne , New Jersey , " Roosevelt " returned to the Mediterranean to complete her cruise . From August 1966 to January 1967 , " Roosevelt " made her only deployment to Southeast Asia , spending a total of 95 days " on the line . " Her embarked airwing , Carrier Air Wing One , consisted mainly of F - 4 Phantom II s and A - 4 Skyhawk s . " Roosevelt " received one battle star for her service during the Vietnam War . In January 1968 , Italian actress Virna Lisi was invited by " Roosevelt " ' s crew to participate in the ship ' s twenty - second birthday celebrations . Lisi helped prepare 5 , 000 T - bone steaks at a large cook - out staged on the flight deck . Austere modernization . " Roosevelt " was initially slated to undergo an extensive reconstruction ( SCB 101 . 68 ) similar to that received by " Midway " from 1966 to 1970 . This plan was derailed by massive cost overruns in " Midway " ' s reconstruction , which eventually totalled $ 202 million . " Roosevelt " was therefore limited to an austere $ 46 million refit , enabling her to operate the Grumman A - 6 Intruder and LTV A - 7 Corsair II . In July 1968 , " Roosevelt " entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard for her 11 - month modernization program . The forward centerline elevator was relocated to the starboard deck edge forward of the island , the port waist catapult was removed , the crew spaces were refurbished , and two of the four remaining anti - aircraft turrets were removed . " Roosevelt " also received a deck edge spray system using the new seawater compatible fire - fighting chemical , Light Water . She put to sea again on 26 May 1969 . From 1 August 1969 , " Roosevelt " embarked Carrier Air Wing Six , which served as the ship ' s air wing for the next seven cruises . In January 1970 , " Roosevelt " returned to the Mediterranean for another Sixth Fleet deployment . " Roosevelt " ' s twenty - first Sixth Fleet deployment was marked by indirect participation in the October 1973 Yom Kippur War , as she served as a transit " landing field " for aircraft being delivered to Israel . The " Roosevelt " battlegroup , Task Force 60 . 2 , also stood by for possible evacuation contingencies . From 1973 through 1975 , VAW - 121 operated aboard " Roosevelt " as one of the last Grumman E - 1 Tracer squadrons in the fleet . " Roosevelt " received a multipurpose designation , CV - 42 , on 30 June 1975 , but she did not operate any anti - submarine aircraft . In June 1976 , " Roosevelt " embarked VMA - 231 with 14 AV - 8A Harrier attack aircraft . The ship embarked Carrier Air Wing Nineteen for its final deployment , which lasted from October 1976 to April 1977 . VMA - 231 was on board for this deployment , which demonstrated that VTOL aircraft could be successfully and seamlessly integrated into fixed wing air operations . On 12 January 1977 , " Roosevelt " collided with the Liberian grain freighter " Oceanus " while transiting the Strait of Messina . Both ships were able to proceed to port under their own power . Decommissioning and disposal . By the late 1970s , " Roosevelt " was in poor material condition . Deprived of the upgrades that " Midway " and " Coral Sea " had received , " Roosevelt " was the least modern and least capable of the class . Furthermore , " Roosevelt " used General Electric turbines , which gave persistent problems and reduced speed compared to the Westinghouse units used on the other ships . The Navy therefore chose to decommission " Roosevelt " when the second " Nimitz " class carrier , " Dwight D . Eisenhower " , entered service in 1977 . " Roosevelt " completed her final cruise in April 1977 . She was officially decommissioned on 30 September 1977 . The decommissioning ceremony was held on 1 October 1977 and the ship was stricken from the Navy List on the same day . Efforts to preserve " Roosevelt " as a museum ship in New York City failed . " Roosevelt " ' s generally poor condition weighed against retaining her in the reserve fleet . Moreover , her low hangar height of 17 feet 6 inches ( 5 . 33 m ) limited the aircraft types that she could handle . It was reasoned that existing " Essex " class carriers could handle the same types of aircraft at lower cost . Some admirals also feared that if " Roosevelt " were retained , the Carter Administration would use her reactivation as a reason to cancel future " Nimitz " class carriers . On 1 April 1978 , the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service sold the ship to River Terminal Development Company for $ 2 . 1 million . After usable equipment was removed from " Roosevelt " at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard ' s Inactive Ships Facility , the carrier was towed to Kearny , New Jersey . She arrived on 3 May 1978 and was scrapped that year .