USS Roosevelt Hosts Family of Ship’s Namesake

The Guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) hosted the family of the ship’s namesake, May 2.

Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s grandson, H. Delano Roosevelt, took a tour of Roosevelt with family and friends during a scheduled port visit in Manama, Bahrain.

The tour was led by Cmdr. Jay Clark, Roosevelt’s commanding officer. Sailors from the crew gave presentations about the various departments and capabilities of the ship including bridge fundamentals, navigation, engineering, damage control, aviation, search and rescue, and visit, board, search and seizure operations.

“It was an honor and a privilege to introduce USS Roosevelt to Mr. Roosevelt,” said Cmdr. Jay Clark. “The crew, as well as myself, take immense pride in being Roosevelt Sailors. I am sure that the grandson of our namesake saw that pride and knew we were honoring the legacy Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt left behind.”

After the tour, Clark led the group into the wardroom, where officers were assembled to attend the Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) designation pinning of Chief Warrant Officer James Smith. As a surprise, Smith bestowed the honor of pinning the SWO device to Mr. Roosevelt.

“It was dynamic,” said Smith. “To have the grandson of such a great man and woman, the namesakes of our ship, perform the pinning is a once in a lifetime occurrence I will never forget.”

Following the pinning Cmdr. Clark presented Mr. Roosevelt with Roosevelt memorabilia including a signed picture of the ship. In return, Mr. Roosevelt presented Cmdr. Clark with a coin from the battleship USS Iowa, which his family has been influential in helping to restore as a historical monument in Long Beach, Calif., where H. Delano Roosevelt and his family call home.

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Press Release, May 7, 2014; Image: US Navy