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Posted on 09/24/2005 9:05:21 AM PDT by snippy_about_it
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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 displacement: 85,600 tons length: 1, 101 feet beam: 133 feet; extreme width: 252 feet draft: 35 feet speed: 30+ knots complement: 4,600 crew class: Enterprise  A bottle of champagne shattered on the bow of the awesome new warship, USS Enterprise (CVN 65), breaking the silence of an anxious crowd at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newport News, Va. It was Sunday morning, Sept. 24, 1960, when Mrs. William B. Franke, wife of the former Secretary of the Navy, christened the eighth USS Enterprise, bringing to life the longest, tallest and mightiest warship to ever sail the seas. At the commissioning of Enterprise, the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Secretary of the Navy John B. Connally, Jr., called it a worthy successor to the highly decorated seventh USS Enterprise of World War II. "The Fighting Gray Lady, as it was called, served in such well-known battles as the raid on Tokyo and the Battle of Midway." Secretary Connally went on to say, "The new Enterprise will reign a long, long time as queen of the seas." Enterprise made its maiden voyage under the command of Capt. Vincent P. DePoix, Jan. 12, 1962. In August, Enterprise joined the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. Soon after its return to Norfolk, Va., in October, Enterprise was dispatched to its first international crisis. Enterprise and other ships in the Second Fleet set up a "strict quarantine of all offensive military equipment under shipment to Cuba." The blockade was put in place on Oct. 24, and the first Soviet ship was stopped the next day. On Oct. 28, Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles and dismantle the missile bases in Cuba.  Enterprise made its second and third deployments to the Mediterranean in 1963 and 1964. During the latter deployment, on May 13, the world's first nuclear-powered task force was formed when USS Long Beach and USS Bainbridge joined Enterprise. On July 31, the ships were designated Task Force One and sent on Operation Sea Orbit, a historic 30,565-mile voyage around the world, accomplished without a single refueling or replenishment. In October, Enterprise returned to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company for its first refueling and overhaul. The Big E transferred to the Pacific's Seventh Fleet in November 1965 and became the first nuclear-powered ship to engage in combat when it launched bomb-laden aircraft in a projection of power against the Viet Cong on Dec. 2, 1965. Its hot decks launched 125 sorties on the first day, unleashing 167 tons of bombs and rockets on the enemy's supply lines. The next day it set a record of 165 strike sorties in a single day. In all, Enterprise made six combat deployments to Southeast Asia from 1965 to 1972. Between combat tours, Enterprise returned to Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in 1970 for an overhaul and second refueling. Following the 1973 cease-fire in Vietnam, Enterprise proceeded to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Wash., where Big E was altered and refitted to support the Navy's newest fighter aircraft -- the F-14A "Tomcat." When Enterprise made its seventh Western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployment in September 1974, it became the first carrier to deploy with the new fighter plane. During the deployment, in February 1975, Enterprise was called on to help in the evacuation of Saigon. During Operation Frequent Wind, Big E aircraft flew 95 sorties.  The ship made its eighth and ninth WESTPACs in 1976 and 1978, respectively. It sailed to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in January 1979 for a 30-month comprehensive overhaul. Enterprise made its 10th, 11th and 12th WESTPAC deployments in 1982, 1984 and 1986, respectively. When Enterprise deployed in 1986, it became the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to transit the Suez Canal. It then entered the Mediterranean Sea for the first time in over 22 years. In April 1988, Enterprise, on its 13th deployment, was assigned to escort reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers in the Persian Gulf while stationed in the North Arabian Sea. In a measured response, Enterprise and Carrier Air Wing 11 struck a decisive blow to the Iranian navy in the most intensely fought naval battle since the Korean campaign. Enterprise began its 14th overseas deployment in September 1989. In early December, Enterprise participated in Operation Classic Resolve, President Bush's response to Philippine President Corazon Aquino's request for air support during the rebel coup attempt. Enterprise remained on station conducting flight operations in the waters outside Manila Bay. In March 1990, Enterprise completed its highly successful around-the-world deployment by arriving in Norfolk, Va. Enterprise had successfully and safely steamed more than 43,000 miles from its long-time homeport of Alameda, Calif. In October, Enterprise moved to Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company for refueling and the Navy's largest complex overhaul ever attempted. It returned to sea Sept. 27, 1994, for sea trials, during which Enterprise performed an extended full power run as fast as when it was new. The Big E remains the fastest combatant in the world. On June 28, 1996, Enterprise began its 15th overseas deployment. The Big E enforced no-fly zones in Bosnia (Operation Joint Endeavor) and Iraq (Operation Southern Watch).  The deployment also marked the end of an era when VA-75 retired the A-6E Intruder from the Navy. Enterprise completed its deployment Dec. 20, 1996. In February of 1997 Enterprise entered Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. for an extended selective restrictive availablity lasting four-and-a-half months. Following workups, Enterprise departed on its 16th overseas deployment Nov. 6, 1998, this time with CVW 3. Following a high-speed TransLant, Big E relieved Eisenhower in the Arabian Gulf Nov. 23. On Dec. 16, 1998, Enterprise Battle Group assets initiated Operation Desert Fox, the aerial assault of military targets in Iraq, first with Tomahawk land attack missiles and then air strikes by CVW 3. During the 70-hour operation, Team Enterprise launched more than 200 Tomahawk cruise missiles and dropped more than 675,000 pounds of ordnance. Immediately after Desert Fox, Big E steamed to the Adriatic Sea for possible combat operations in the Yugoslavian province of Kosovo. The deployment concluded in May 1999.      |
Good morning feather. Thank you for the tribute to the fallen.
Yes, the temp is beautiful nice and cool and sunny.
I love the fall, just don't care for winter that much..
Prayers up for safety from the storm.
:-)
Thanks for dropping by the Foxhole.
LOL, you are gonna lose your hair over this one PE.;)
Foxholes are great!
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Sad Regards
alfa6 ;>}
It's looks as if we're gonna miss nearly the entire thing at Castle Sparksalot. It's cloudy, with a sustained 20mph breeze, gusting to 30-40. No rain yet, and the chance is small at this point. The picture looked very different for us 24-48 hours ago.
Good news!! Answered prayers.
New Orleans is sure getting it again.
Sad indeed, lovely send off, ALfa.
Afternoon all.
"These are the voyages of the USS Enterprise..." :-)
No pornograph eh? I hear told of places on the internet that can fix that.
You beat me!
I wouldn't know anything about that. ;-)
thanks alfa6.
Oddly enough (maybe) I didn't even think of this. Duh!
Howdy ma'am
The winds have been gusting a bit higher than earlier. Maybe 50mph or so now. great day for a yard sale! Not really, but it is "neighborhood yard sale day". And folks are doing it. We still haven't had any rain.
With winds that high it's a great time to rake the leaves.
This is a great presentation regarding the Big E.
Allow me to add a bit of not well known history regarding the USS ENTERPRISE.
During her first WESTPAC deployment in 65-66, she made an R&R call to Subic Bay, PI. She was tied up to the carrier pier and looked magnificent across the bay from our location at the Ship's Repair Facility Diving Barge/School.
I was attending Second Class Diving School at the time. A job order came in from the Big E. It seems the Snipes aboard E had to repack one of the rudder posts. To accomplish this job, the point under the E where the rudder post penetrates the hull had to have a "dam" set in place to prevent water from entering when the Snipes removed the packing ring deep in aft steering room of the ship.
The method we used to dam the post was to use a 1 1/2 in. line (rope) coated in "monkeys**t" - a thick black sticky substance used to pack around electrical cables as they passed through bulkheads to maintain water-tight integrity of the space. We took this line and wrapped it around the post. To give you and idea how large that rudder post is, there were four of us underwater working at arms length away from each other stuffing that rope around the post.
Once we had it in place, we pounded on the hull to let the snipes know it was safe to remove the packing glands inside. As the gland was removed, the combination of flowing water and underwater pressure forced the dam tighter into place, shutting off the flow of water.
Once the job was done on the inside, we dove again to remove the dam. Mission accomplished.
Now, an addendum to the above story...
Naval vessels have the name of the vessel painted in black block lettering just below the main deck on the stern and the ENTERPRISE is no exception. However, during the intrim period of installing that dam on the rudder post and removing it, we had some down time. One of the divers' name was Hugh AKA Hughie.
Well, during the down time, Hughie found a chipping hammer and began etching his name in the paint on the E - about 4 ft. above the waterline on the stern in large block letters.
When the Big E left Subic, her rudder post was repaired and she bore a two names - ENTERPRISE and HUGHIE.
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