Have we ever had to scrap a CVN?
Big E is the first right?
So how do you keep a nuclear ship in reserve? They scrapped all the Long Beach class.
Good question!
My Answer: Lawerence Livermore Labs in conjunction with the US Navy will keep it in reserve and safe'.
It could also be used as a 'nuclear training center/ship' for the US Navy.
There was only one Long Beach
$1.5B to scrap the E but not a penny for the wall.
Enterprise, being a one-off design, wasn't the best candidate for the mothball fleet. I do wonder whether anyone at the Pentagon, with an eye toward events in east Asia, has considered future vessel retirements and the possibility of sending those older flight decks into the fleets of Australia or Japan.
I know that both have political sensitivities with regard to carriers and/or nuclear power, but it just seems like a natural fit in the Pacific if they can get past those issues.