Theodore Roosevelt & the Navy: 5 Facts | USS Theodore Roosevelt Crew

The sailors who serve aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt know their namesake left a mark on the Navy that still shapes it today.

In this short video, the crew of the aircraft carrier — introduced by Commanding Officer Captain Will Mathis — shares five facts about how Theodore Roosevelt helped build the modern U.S. Navy, from his fighting-ready years as Assistant Secretary of the Navy to the round-the-world voyage of the Great White Fleet.

Roosevelt's fascination with sea power started long before politics. He published a serious history of the Navy in the War of 1812 back in 1882, when he was just 23 — and he never stopped arguing that a strong fleet was essential to the country's future.

Five facts from the crew:
00:00 — Meet Captain Will Mathis
00:22 — Readying the Navy for war
00:40 — Backing the Panama Canal
00:52 — The Great White Fleet sets sail
01:08 — The order that led to Manila Bay
01:24 — Building a modern steel navy

The same drive that reshaped the Navy first took root in the North Dakota Badlands, where a young Roosevelt found the grit that would define the rest of his life. That story lives on at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota.

Plan a visit: trlibrary.com/visit

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