USS Roosevelt Inducts New Sailors into the “Order of the Blue Nose”

[Tony]

ARCTIC CIRCLE - Sailors aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) participated in an “Order of the Blue Nose” ceremony on July 7, 2021, in a location above the Arctic Circle demarcation line of 66.30 degrees latitude.

The ceremony is one of many naval traditions that indoctrinate Sailors into an elite order. During the ceremony, Roosevelt Sailors completed an obstacle course laden with frigid tasks. An audience with Boreas Rex, the King of the North, is the culminating event. Once Boreas Rex deemed their frozen quest a success, Sailors are marked with a painted blue nose.

The crew gave their thoughts on their participation in the chilly ceremony.

“It made me feel like I was in Antarctica,” said Yeoman 2nd Class Renato Tanamachi. “The Blue Nose is my favorite tradition in the Navy because it is something that not many Sailors get the opportunity to participate in. It’s a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget.”

Roosevelt has frequented the Arctic Circle since its arrival to the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations in 2020. This is the third ceremony hosted by the command.

Command Master Chief James Kuroski participated in the ceremony during the ship’s first patrol. He was inducted in the first ceremony, participated once again in the second ceremony, and now hosts the third.

“It’s a great honor to share this tradition with the Roosevelt crew,” said Kuroski, Roosevelt’s command master chief. “It is something everyone will remember their whole life. “

Roosevelt, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, began its second Forward Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDNF-E) patrol March 29 in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa.

Roosevelt is one of four U.S. Navy destroyers based in Rota, Spain, and assigned to Commander, Task Force 65 in support of NATO’s Integrated Air Missile Defense architecture. These Forward-Deployed Naval Forces-Europe ships have the flexibility to operate throughout the waters of Europe and Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Arctic Circle, demonstrating their mastery of the maritime domain.

U.S. Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national security interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.