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Dec. 8 (UPI) -- The USS Theodore Roosevelt left San Diego this week ahead of its second deployment of the year. The aircraft carrier departed with little fanfare and without a public announcement to conduct operations in West Coast waters.
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pre-deployment exercise and certification routine, with a shorter sustainment exercise sufficing.
"The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group is currently underway conducting operations in U.S. Third Fleet," 3rd Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Sean Robertson said. "The strike group is a combat-ready national asset capable of both deterrence and offensive strike that provides our national command authority with flexible options, all domain access, and a visible forward presence."
Robertson would not comment on upcoming deployment plans.
The strike group had been in quarantine since mid-November, and in October the Navy confirmed two new cases of COVID-19 on board.
In July the Roosevelt returned to San Diego after six months in the Pacific for a deployment that was lengthened as sailors fought a COVID-19 outbreak on board.
The outbreak sickened nearly 1,000 sailors -- among a crew of nearly 5,000 -- and killed one.
It also caused a leadership shakeup on board the ship and ultimately in the Navy itself.
The ship's Captain, Brett Crozier, was fired following media reports of a memo pleading for more help containing the outbreak.
Navy secretary Thomas B. Modly publicly criticized Crozier for allowing the memo to go public in a profanity-laden tirade to sailors on the ship, which was then docked in Guam as sailors and other personnel isolated and worked to contain the outbreak.
Modly subsequently resigned.
