Sep 15, 2015

Every day, the steam-powered catapult aboard this massive aircraft carrier flings American fighter jets into the sky, on missions to target the extremist Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt, whose homeport is San Diego, California, is a key element of the U.S.-led coalition targeting the militants. This island of steel in the Persian Gulf some 1,090-feet (330-meters) long is home to some 5,000 U.S. Navy airmen, sailors and Marine pilots, carrying some 70 aircraft involved in the fight against the extremists.

: A plane captain cleans the windshield of a U.S. Navy fighter jet that sits on the flight deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt deployed in the Persian Gulf. The USS Theodore Roosevelt, whose home port is San Diego, California, is a key element of the U.S.-led coalition targeting Islamic State militants. This island of steel in the Persian Gulf some 1,090-feet (330-meters) long is home to some 5,000 U.S. Navy airmen, sailors and Marine pilots, carrying some 70 aircraft involved in the fight against the extremists. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: Flight deck personnel, wearing different colored shirts in order to distinguish their tasks, are seen on the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier as a U.S. Navy fighter jet takes off. This island of steel in the Persian Gulf some 1,090-feet (330-meters) long is home to some 5,000 U.S. Navy airmen, sailors and Marine pilots, carrying some 70 aircraft involved in the fight against the extremists.(AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: U.S. Navy air wing plane captains carry chains as they pause on the flight deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier. Plane captains are identified by wearing brown shirts and are responsible for preparing the aircraft for flight. Every day, the steam-powered catapult aboard this massive aircraft carrier flings American fighter jets into the sky, on missions to target the extremist Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.(AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: Members of a cargo aircraft crew perform a visual check of their passengers as their plane prepares to land on the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier currently deployed in the Persian Gulf, supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the military operation against Islamic Stare extremists in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: U.S. Navy sailors wear full dress white uniforms before a Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier deployed in the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the military operation against Islamic State extremists in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: Rear Admiral Roy Kelley, the Commander of Carrier Strike Group 12, stands inside the Flag Bridge on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt, a Nimitz class nuclear powered aircraft carrier currently deployed in the Persian Gulf, supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the military operation against Islamic State extremists in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: A flight deck crew member watches flight operations evolve on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier deployed in the Persian Gulf. All flight operations, as well as the ship’s navigation, are controlled and observed from inside the ship’s superstructure that towers over the flight deck, and houses the Pilot Bridge, the Flag Bridge and Primary Flight Control. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: Plane Directors, wearing yellow jerseys, stand back as a U.S. Navy aircraft lands on the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. Every day, the steam-powered catapult aboard this massive aircraft carrier flings American fighter jets into the sky, on missions to target the extremist Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.(AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: U.S. Navy personnel attend a Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier. Sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier commemorated the Sept. 11 2001 terror attacks with a small ceremony while conducting regular duties in the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the US Military operation against Islamic Stare extremists in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: A U.S. Navy sailor carries a trumpet before a Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier deployed in the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the military operation against Islamic State extremists in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: A U.S. Navy sailor works out in an area designated for exercise on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier currently deployed in the Persian Gulf, supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the military operation against Islamic State extremists in Syria and Iraq. Below deck is a complex set of passageways and tunnels, hangars and sailorsí quarters, gyms and mess halls, engine rooms and offices. Painted murals bear fighter squadron insignia, U.S. flags, the cartoon figure Popeye and other patriotic imagery.(AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: U.S. flags decorate a door frame on board USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier currently deployed in the Persian Gulf, supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the military operation against Islamic State extremists in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: U.S. Navy personnel smoke cigarettes on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier currently deployed in the Persian Gulf, supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the military operation against Islamic State extremists in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: A U.S. Navy sailor plays the part of an amputee while attending a mass casualty drill inside the hangar on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt currently deployed in the Persian Gulf, supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the military operation against Islamic State extremists in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: A U.S. Navy pilot reads a specialized weapons magazine as he sits on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt, a Nimitz class nuclear powered aircraft carrier currently deployed in the Persian Gulf, supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the military operation against Islamic State extremists in Syria and Iraq. Below deck is a complex set of passageways and tunnels, hangars and sailorsí quarters, gyms and mess halls, engine rooms and offices. Painted murals bear fighter squadron insignia, U.S. flags, the cartoon figure Popeye and other patriotic imagery. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: A group of U.S. Navy Petty Officers First Class to be promoted into higher rank discuss the promotion ceremony protocol on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier currently deployed in the Persian Gulf, supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the military operation against Islamic State extremists in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: A letter of support to members of the U.S. military received in a care package is hanged inside the Pilot Bridge on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt currently deployed in the Persian Gulf. Pilots onboard have flown missions into both Iraq and Syria, part of the over 6,800 airstrikes carried out by the coalition since August 2014. Some 20 percent of all coalition strikes come from aircraft launched from the nuclear-powered Roosevelt.(AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: U.S. Navy personnel bow their heads while attending a Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier deployed in the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the military operation against Islamic State extremists in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: A U.S. Navy sailor participates in Karaoke night inside one of the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier mess halls during deployment in the Persian Gulf. The carrier, currently running airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq, is home and base to approximately five thousand personnel while on deployment, and the ship’s mess halls serve up to eighteen thousand meals to sailors on a daily basis. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: U.S. Navy sailors have a conversation inside one of the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier mess halls. The carrier, currently running airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq, is home and base to approximately five thousand personnel while on deployment, and the ship’s mess halls serve up to eighteen thousand meals to sailors on a daily basis. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: A tractor driver, wearing a blue shirt, pauses on the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier before flight operations start. USS Theodore Roosevelt, currently stationed in the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the military operation against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, is home and base to approximately five thousand personnel while on deployment. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: Plane directors, wearing yellow jerseys, oversee the takeoff of a U.S. Marine fighter jet aircraft aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier. Pilots onboard have flown missions into both Iraq and Syria, part of the over 6,800 airstrikes carried out since August 2014. Some 20 percent of all coalition strikes come from aircraft launched from the nuclear-powered Roosevelt.(AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: A crash and salvage team, wearing red shirts, stand ready as they observe flight operations on the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier. Pilots onboard have flown missions into both Iraq and Syria, part of the over 6,800 airstrikes carried out since August 2014. Some 20 percent of all coalition strikes come from aircraft launched from the nuclear-powered Roosevelt.(AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

: Aircraft mechanics, wearing green jerseys, perform maintenance on the landing gear of a U.S. fighter jet inside the hangar on board the USS Theodore Roosevelt currently deployed in the Persian Gulf, supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the military operation against Islamic State extremists in Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

Coming in for landing on its 4.5-acre flight deck feels like nothing else; the plane’s tail hooks catch trap wires and screech the aircraft to a halt in about two seconds — rushing so much blood to the heads of passengers and pilots that everyone briefly sees red.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Big Stick!” crew members shout on arrival, referring to the 20-story tall aircraft carrier’s namesake, the U.S.’ 26th president known for the saying: “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

Below deck is a complex set of passageways and tunnels, hangars and sailors’ quarters, gyms and mess halls, engine rooms and offices. Painted murals bear fighter squadron insignia, U.S. flags, the cartoon figure Popeye and other patriotic imagery.

Pilots onboard have flown missions into both Iraq and Syria, part of the over 6,800 airstrikes carried out by the coalition since August 2014. Some 20 percent of all coalition strikes come from aircraft launched from the nuclear-powered Roosevelt.

Though naval officers declined to discuss their operations in detail with an Associated Press team invited onboard, many missions now target the Islamic State-held city of Ramadi in Iraq to support local forces trying to retake it. Each mission requires hours of preparation, those involved say.

“We don’t just shoot from the hip, if you will,” says Capt. Brandon “Wobbly” Wilkins, a Marine pilot. “And again we’re not here to carpet-bomb the place and obliterate a nation. We’re trying to do very specific things with our aircrafts to support the Iraqi mission.”

This is a series of photographs from AP photographer Marko Drobnjakovic’s visit aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which will return to the U.S. this fall.

Life aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier fighting ISIS

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