By Maria Sanminiatell, Associated Press, 09/19/01

TODAY'S TOP STORIES Military US checking hospital charge World Taliban claims hospital struck Pakistan arrests anti-US activists Russia's anthrax under lockup  TODAY'S GLOBE US ready to increase raids Trouble seen over victims' fund Troops' loyalties shift Anti-US rage boils in Pakistan More coverage in: Nation | World City & Region Complete archive of stories  REALVIDEO Security tight at Pilgrim plant Maine Guard troops head out Benefit concert in D.C. Archive of RealVideo  PHOTO GALLERIES Life aboard US Navy vessels Most wanted terrorists Scenes from Afghanistan Archive of photo galleries  THE RETALIATION The battlefield A grim land ravaged by war The enemy Afghans are tough, determined The aftermath Replacing the Taliban Maps Diagram of the attacks Overview of the region Graphics Weaponry used in strikes A look at US aircraft carriers Satellite-guided weapons Bomb covers 10 football fields New bomb used for first time  THE SUSPECTS The 19 suspected hijackers A look at Osama bin Laden Photos: Bin Laden's terror trail FBI's 'most-wanted' terrorists  THE ATTACK Sept. 11, 2001 A reconstruction of the day in graphics, photos, and text.  MESSAGE BOARDS Earlier boards Has America changed forever? Condolences Acts of patriotism

NORFOLK, Va. -- Children clung to their parents. Husbands and wives and girlfriends and boyfriends cried in each other's arms Wednesday as the first Navy ships left the United States since the terrorist attacks.

The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt's departure for the Mediterranean was planned before the attacks in New York City and at the Pentagon. Navy officials declined to say whether the attacks had changed the battle group's destination.

Just before the carrier left the Norfolk Naval Station around 10 a.m., Navy Secretary Gordon England addressed somber sailors over a loudspeaker from the bridge.

"We're learning once again that freedom and liberty and the American way of life are not a birthright," he said. "It is time for us to pick up the mantle to destroy terrorism and remove this cancer."

"New York, New York" played as the carrier pulled away from the pier.

The Roosevelt had been scheduled to relieve the USS Enterprise battle group, which left in April for the Middle East and the Mediterranean Sea.

"This is a scheduled deployment but it is by no means routine. The events of the last week have renewed our sense of determination and our focus," carrier group commander Rear Adm. Mark Fitzgerald said. "In this deployment, we're ready for everything. We will be able to be flexible. We will be able to respond."

More than 15,000 sailors and Marines comprise the Roosevelt battle group. Six ships and a submarine left Norfolk Wednesday. Within three days, 10 ships will be at sea with the battle group, Fitzgerald said. A second submarine is already in the Mediterranean to work with the group.

Two aircraft carriers, the USS George Washington, based in Norfolk but doing exercises at sea, and the USS John F. Kennedy from Mayport, Fla., were sent to New York last week to assist with the relief effort. Eight other East Coast-based ships have been dispatched to New York and Washington.