Posted on 11/30/2012 5:24:04 AM PST by lbryce
After 51 years of service, the historic aircraft carrier is about to be decommissioned.
When the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) sailed away from Norfolk, Virginia, on its maiden voyage in 1962, it was the worlds first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, and the eighth Enterprise in a long dynasty reaching back to the Revolutionary War. Its eight nuclear reactors, reported the Chicago Daily Defender, had an energy potential "as great as that of all the reactors in the free world."
The most recent Enterprise played a role in the Cuban Missile Crisis, along with other ships in the Second Fleet, blockading shipments of military equipment to Cuba. During the height of the Vietnam War, nearly 100 aircraft were launched each day from the Enterprise, laden with explosives and bound for the Ho Chi Minh Trail. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the carrierheaded home after a long deploymentsteamed overnight to the North Arabian Sea to participate in Operation Enduring Freedom.
On December 1, 2012, the carrier will be inactivated, ending 51 years of service. See the gallery above for more about its history. Here, two F/A-18 Super Hornets fly past the Enterprise on its last deployment, on October 4, 2012.
There has been an Enterprise since 1775, when Captain James Smith was ordered to Lake Champlain to take command of the 70-ton sloop that originally belonged to the British. Enterprise II was an eight-gun schooner purchased in 1776 that convoyed transports in the Chesapeake Bay. Enterprise III, a 12-gun schooner, searched for British privateers off the coast of Maine in 1812. Enterprise IV launched from the New York Navy Yard in 1831; while Enterprise V, a steam corvette with auxiliary sail power, was commissioned in 1877. . | 2 of 9 | Next »»
(Excerpt) Read more at airspacemag.com ...
Unfortunately in our politically correct world we now are naming navy ships after Caesar Chavez. Under Obama I fear our once proud navy will be reduced to a few dilapidated frigates bearing names like Chairman Mao and Gertrude Stein
I went aboard the Howard W Gilmore in Miami, 1964 when I was about 14. I recall being impressed with all the machine and maintenance shops, and other support facilities. Great ship.
Hand Salute to your Dad.
I had never heard about this. She almost didn’t make it past her first decade!
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57556318/tragedy-remembered-as-uss-enterprise-is-retired/
Sell it to Israel.
My son-in-law was aboard the Enterprise that fateful day of Sept. 11, 2001. Needless to say, after the long cruise, my daughter was in tears knowing he would be gone even longer.
“I went aboard the Howard W Gilmore in Miami, 1964 when I was about 14. I recall being impressed with all the machine and maintenance shops, and other support facilities. Great ship.
Hand Salute to your Dad.”
Thank you very much. I’ll relay to him. He was on it from 46-48. Fireman 1st Class, SubRon 4 (I think) out of Key West. Great duty and learned a lot but hot as hell as he used to say. LOL
He’s 84 now and still going strong after 60+ years in the building line as a carpenter/builder. He was so sad when they finally cut her up back in 2006.
A good buddy served aboard the Enterprise, he must have been a LT at the time. He is quite sad, no doubt most who served aboard are as well. Luckily he was able to score tickets for him and the family to attend the ceremony.
Read that William Shatner will be present at the deactivation in Norfolk.
Ceremony begins at 1300 ET on 1 December 2012.
I didn’t serve aboard the Big E, but the first work I did after retiring from the Navy was installation of the LAN on her. I served on John F. Kennedy, Nimitz, and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
I used to joke about the carriers, that there was 4 classes of carriers (at the time), Midway, Forrestal, Kitty Hawk, and Nimitz along with “the experiment” and “the bastard stepchild.” The experiment was the Enterprise, “let’s see if we can build a nuclear powered carrier.” The bastard stepchild was the JFK, the ship that was supposed to be the lead of the new nuclear carriers but was built conventional because Congress didn’t want to spend the money.
Watching a news report on Big E this morning almost brought tears to my eyes. It’s sad to see a ship die.
ping
The Enterprise is the last flight deck still active that I have set foot on. Tomorrow there will be none left out of six.
Correction: The photo has no caption but your beef with the layput of the article lies with Rebecca Maksel and the editors of Air & Space.
That's what you get when you lazily comment without first reading the entire article at the source.
And astoundingly, after 51 years in service, she has been refueled only FOUR times.
He should steal it and ram it into DC in a blaze of glory.
Back in ‘66 we had a diving job on the USS ENTERPRISE in Subic Bay, PI. The ships crew needed to install new packing on one of the rudder posts.
Our job was to install a dam around the rudder post underwater. Once it was installed the ships crew removed the packing glands and installed new packing.
We spent a few hours doing the job. Our diving barge was tied to the stern. One of our guys took a chipping hammer to the paint on the stern about 5 feet above the waterline. When he was finished he had written “HUEY”, his name, on the stern.
True story not a “Sea Story”.
I read the whole article before I commented a**hat. Regardless of whom posted the caption it is in the wrong place and my comment was valid. That carrier is not the Nuke Enterprise and those are not jets. Please take your snarky a**ed comments and shove them up your Obama.
Thanks for the new info. Too bad he can’t make it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.