USS Enterprise Departs for Six-Month Deployment

Navy NewsStand ^

[SandRat]

USS ENTERPRISE, At Sea (NNS) -- The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW)1 departed Naval Station Norfolk, Va., May 2 for a regularly scheduled six-month deployment.

Enterprise is the flagship for the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group, which includes the USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55), USS McFaul (DDG 74), USS Nicholas (FFG 47), all based in Norfolk, the USS Alexandria (SSN 757), homeported in Groton, Conn., and USNS Supply (T-AOE-6), homeported in Earle, N.J.

The nearly 7,500 Sailors in the strike group will conduct operations in the Middle East in support of the global war on terrorism.

“There’s tremendous pressure as always in the Middle East, and the Enterprise Strike Group has worked hard to be able to go out there and conduct any mission, from combat to humanitarian aid,” said CMDCM Paul Declercq, Enterprise command master chief.

Enterprise spent the last six months preparing for this underway by completing various carrier qualifications.

“We’ve trained long and hard to be the next strike group to participate in the global war on terror,” said Capt. Larry Rice, Enterprise commanding officer.

This is Enterprise’s first six-month deployment since returning from a deployment in February 2004.

For related news, visit the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/cvn65/.

[quietolong]

A few of my Enterprise (CVN 65)links


Official Big E Rx Site
http://www.mooj.com/rxdept.htm

Big E Fire
http://www.bigefire.com/

[Tallguy]

Somebody screwed up on the sleeve rank for O-6 (Captain) -- should be four full stripes like the shoulder board. Didn't know if you noticed...

[Parley Baer]

That was about the time I was transfered from VP-50 to VF-96. We either just missed or were together for a very short time. Long time ago and hard to remember names.

[SandRat]

Yep and Nope.

[SandRat]

Sleeve Rank

[tanknetter]

Enterprise, no prouder ship name in US Navy. The WW2 Enterprise, one of the most famous fighting carriers of the war. I think she was in just about every major engagement.

I think fans of the USS Constitution would challenge your "prouder ship name" assertion. Of course, the Constitution is still the original ship (technically speaking, of course).

IIRC there were 21 WWII Battle Stars issued for combat actions in the Pacific Theater. Enterprise earned 20 of them, only missing Coral Sea (by a matter of days, as she and Hornet rushed in late from the Doolittle Raid.

[dvwjr]

That makes perfect sense. The personnel situation was very fluid with WESTPAC deployments. Plus I have problems remembering most of the names of guys I went to VMI with during the later 1970s - so I understand!

Naval Aviation has shrunk so much since the 1970s that many famous squadron designations have been retired. The Fleet is getting so short-handed that the formal policy is to now have a Marine Air squadron deployed as part of a Navy Carrier Air Wing. Heck - a Marine Colonel now is the CAG of CVW-9. The turn-about is that a USN Captain will take over one of the three active duty Marine Air Wings.

All because Congress will not spend enough to fully populate the decks of the carriers...


dvwjr