Posted on 03/10/2012 3:53:50 PM PST by DemforBush
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — When the makers of "Top Gun" were filming on board the USS Enterprise, they donated a set of black fuzzy dice to liven up the ship's otherwise drab interior.
A quarter-century later, the dice will still be dangling inside the tower of "the Big E" as the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier sets sail on its final voyage Sunday...
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Rest easy now Big E. You have served freedom well and honorably.
Sad. I landed on her twice in a US-3A Viking in 1986 while she was in the Indian Ocean. While there, they had the Ambassador to Oman on board so they did a fast cruise. That is when I found out it was the fastest ship in the fleet because of her excess steam capacity.
In the 1960’s, the “Big E” made port at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco - where my Dad was stationed.
We got a tour of the ship - incredibly massive and it made a huge impression on me ...
There was a fascinating series on TV about the WWII Enterprise a while back.
That ship was clearly the center of the Pacific war. At one time she was the only carrier we had left in the Pacific. Probably should have been sunk several times but the crew was always somehow able to save her.
I feel for the sailors of the Enterprize. I know how I felt when my ship was decommissioned and then served our country as target practice for the Navy. A ship become part of you if you have served on her.
She deserves better than the scrap heap - would be better if she was serving as a floating museum ...
I’ve shared this story before but with Big E’s retirement thought y’all might enjoy this true story...
In 1966 I was attending Second Class Diving School in Subic Bay, PI.
We had a work order from the Enterprise which involved packing one of the rudder posts. As divers, we had pack a “dam” around the rudder post while the ship’s snipes installed the new packing on that rudder post.
The process took a few hours. We had the diving barge tied up to the stern of Big E.
One of our guys took a chipping hammer and began chipping paint just above the waterline. He chipped out his name, HUEY, on the stern.
High up on the stern near the flight deck was ENTERPRISE. Guess The Big E had two names after that diving job.
Don’t know how long it lasted before it was painted over.
My Dad was Chief Engineering Officer/XO on the USS Boxer ...
Strange, but it is true, isn’t it?
And the next carrier will not be named Enterprise, but named after that philandering JFK.
The LHD or the Carrier?
Yep!
“and scrapped”?
I’m amazed that some sea coast city doesn’t want it as a tourist attraction?
Oh that’s right, since zero took office all our cities are doing fine.
She established...the prima facie example of America's absolute dominance of the seas worldwide. Especially blue ocean.
Her reactors and generators, even today, could power a city of 50,000 without shortage.
She could destroy AT LEAST 125 of the 161 countries in the world.
Good chow too:)
The WW II Enterprise was scrapped. It would be sad if the same happened.
50 knots easy.
She can move at freeway speeds and no other capital ship in the world can keep up with her.
Might be worthy some prayer . . .
there’s some noise on the net about expectations that the Big E will be attacked and sunk when festivities with Iran begin.
Sigh.
I hate globalists and their satanic ruthless treacherousness.
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