So Long to ‘The Big E’(inactivated today)

PJ Media ^ | 12-1-2012 | Rick Moran

[smoothsailing]

December 1, 2012

So Long to ‘The Big E’

Rick Moran

For five decades, the nuclear powered aircraft carrier Enterprise plowed the seven seas to protect the freedoms of American citizens and guarantee freedom of the seas for all. From the Cuban missile crisis through its participation in conflicts arising out of the 9/11 attacks, “The Big ‘E’” was the tip of the spear of American foreign policy.

Today, in front of 12,000 former crew, their families, and friends, the United States Navy formally retired Enterprise from active service.

Reuters:

The 1,123-foot (342-metres) long Enterprise was commissioned in 1961 with eight nuclear reactors on board, and the next year was deployed to participate in a blockade of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Since then, it has played a role in a number of naval missions, including deployments to Vietnam and to the Middle East as part of the U.S. response to the September 11, 2001, attacks. It returned from its final deployment about a month ago, said Navy spokesman Mike Maus.

Nicknamed the “Big E,” the Enterprise was the oldest active duty ship in the U.S. Naval fleet, according to the military, and was the eighth U.S. military ship to bear the name Enterprise.

The roughly 12,000 people who participated in the ceremony for the USS Enterprise include many former crew members and their friends, Maus said. The ceremony was held in Virginia at Naval Station Norfolk.

The Enterprise will stay at Naval Station Norfolk for several months and then will move to a shipyard in nearby Newport News, Virginia, where its nuclear fuel will be removed from the vessel, Maus said.

After that, the ship will be towed to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington state, where its nuclear reactors will be dismantled and the Enterprise will be scrapped, Maus said.

There are no plans to turn the Enterprise into a museum, as has been done with other historic warships.

The Navy said in a statement that inactivation and defueling of the Enterprise will have “major impacts on the structure of the ship” and that it would be too costly to “return the ship to a condition that would support it becoming a museum.”

Even today, Enterprise was an impressive weapon of war. Its 8 nuclear reactors powered the ship to speeds up to 34 knots. It carried a crew of 5,000 seamen and airmen and up to 90 aircraft. It was the longest naval vessel in the world in its time, displacing nearly 95,000 tons — a truly fearsome manifestation of American power.

Enterprise was the second oldest commissioned warship in the US Navy, superseded only by the three masted frigate Constitution. She and her crew have much to be proud having served this nation with honor and courage for so long.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Note to the artist: Graphic fail, the numbers on the flightdeck are backwards.

[VF-51vnv]

Me too...Been on her twice way back when. Carrier quals for VF-51 and VF-121. Never forget landing on her deck for the first time...took my breath away.Chow was damn good as well. Puzzle palace below decks...found some places never known to exist on/in the carriers lol. Seen some beautiful skies at night when everything was shut down...sun rises can’t be described by any words. Been on Hancock, Coralsea, Midway and the big “E”. Memories & Memories during war, peace, but the sea will always be in my blood and the ships in my heart.

[Hot Tabasco]

Although I’m a bit clueless over naming one carrier the Wasp (it was sunk).

I think it was manned entirely by white, anglo-saxon protestant sailors....

[GreyFriar]

Tanknetter — Ah naval superstition, a powerful thing. Since there is Still a USS Wasp, then I’d (superstition permiting) would recommend Yorktown as replacement for Bush. As the Carter is a submarine. Keep Hornet and Yorktown in reserve. I’ll let Bush remain since he was a carrier pilot. Just would have waited to name a carrier for him until AFTER his death.

[GreyFriar]

Dear Hot—the WW2 Wasp would have had Blacks/Negroes/African Americans/ on board as mess attendants working in the galley, the only Navy occupation permitted to them, as well as Philippino sailors also working in the mess section. One such Philippino “mess boy” ended up running the White House Kitchen and the “mess” on the last Presidential Yacht in the 1960S and 70s.

Also, the first USS Wasp, was captured from the British in either the Revolutionary War or the War of 1812. Thus keeping her name in service.

[Hot Tabasco]

the WW2 Wasp would have had

Obviously you never had an Irish grandmother that grew up in an Italian neighborhood in Detroit who was fond of using such terms as "Wasp", "Dago", "Wops", "Kike", and other such terms relating to one's nationality that have long since been dropped from the vernacular of everyday speech........

I'm perfectly aware of the diversity aboard that ship and all the others, I was merely attempting to use a bit of wry humor here........sheesh

[smoothsailing]

Note to the artist: Graphic fail, the numbers on the flightdeck are backwards.

Tanknetter pointed that out to me and it went right over my head, so I made some lame joke about Jerry Rice.

I grew up in Tidewater and have fond memories of seeing the "Big E" come and go.

[jazusamo]

Yes, it still really lights my fire when I think about naming ships after John Murtha and Cesar Chavez. And even though it's up to the SECNAV to make the decision it reflects badly on the Navy top brass for not raising hell about it.

That's a beautiful pic of the “Big E” and the two other ships. She has been in service for the better part of both our lives and her and her crews have served our country well. It's great that another USS Enterprise will be coming into service.

Thanks for the ping, Smooth.

[tanknetter]

grew up in Tidewater and have fond memories of seeing the "Big E" come and go.

I only saw her a few times, and then only from a distance on a few occasions when I was in the area and taking the tunnel. I have a few pics stashed somewhere that I took of her from behind that old motel that was on Willoughby Spit. Always wanted to figure out a way to get aboard (I had a friend who worked for US House of Reps committee that managed a trap and cat shot from her aboard a C-2 during pre-deployment workups about 10 years ago - spending most of a day aboard in between), but wasn't able to make it in last week for the final public tours. :-(

Enterprise was pretty critical in the development of my decidedly amateurish interest in military history. In a short period of time in 5th/6th grade in the early 1980s I read "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" (found the Landmark abridged edition tucked away on a shelf at my local bookstore), saw the movie adaptation of it during either a Veterans Day or Memorial Day movie marathon, saw the movie "The Final Countdown" and bought a copy of the old early 1960s National Geographic that had the iconic picture of "Task Force 1" (USS Bainbridge, USS Long Beach and the USS Enterprise with the crew lined up on the flightdeck to spell out "E=MC²") on the cover for $0.25 at a church book sale.

The last piece of all that was repeatedly checking out from my grade-school library the American Heritage Junior Library edition of "Carrier War in the Pacific" The page features an early picture of CVN-65 (billboard arrays and "beehive" on her island) steaming at speed in front of another supercarrier (probably a Forrestal class ship from the looks of it.).

I found a copy of that book several years ago in a used bookstore and snapped it up without negotiation at a fraction of the price I would have been willing to pay for it. The last two paragraphs tie the legacies of CV-6 and CVN-65 together pretty well:

In 1959 the Big E was scrapped.

Yet her name and her fighting spirit did not die. Even as the shipbreakers went about their work, wrote Enterprise's historian, 'a colossal structure was growing in a graving dock at Newport News, Virginia, not far from where the Big E was launched twenty-three years before ... Early in 1961 the dock was flooded and Enterprise, the first nuclear carrier in history, the biggest ship in the world, again the pride of her country and its Navy, first felt the touch of the sea. The story of the Big E had begun again."

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks. I appreciate the comments. Definitely worth considering...

[SkyDancer]

Nice. Thanks for sharing.

[smoothsailing]

I appreciate your posts on this thread. I've learned a great deal I did not know because of them. Thanks so much for sharing!

bought a copy of the old early 1960s National Geographic that had the iconic picture of "Task Force 1" (USS Bainbridge, USS Long Beach and the USS Enterprise with the crew lined up on the flightdeck to spell out "E=MC2") on the cover for $0.25 at a church book sale.

Take a look at the beginning of this thread, Post #1, it's that very picture! :)

[GreyFriar]

Dear Hot— Nope didn’t grow up there or near there to hear those terms. So the moslems in Detroit let your grandmother use those terms about them?

[Hot Tabasco]

So the moslems in Detroit let your grandmother use those terms about them?

You're obviously clueless Lewis, do yourself a favor and google those terms as well as early 1900's terminology........I'm not even going to address your ridiculous comment about muslims.

[cva66snipe]

Six United States Navy Ships were named WASP and five were before WASP CV-6 commissioned in 1940 & sank in 1942. The previous WASP to CV-6 was a Sloop built in 1812. So the name WASP is an old one in the USN.

IOW there would have been four USS WASP commissioned between 1776-1812 & taken out of service. Those could have been merchant ships put into USN service. Obviously it is still a popular name as there is a current LDH-1.

But this should clear it up LOL. HISTORY OF USS WASP

[zot]

Thanks for the ping. It is amazing that the eight nuclear power plants could push anything that big that fast and last for 50 years.

[stevie_d_64]

34 knots??? Hehehe...

We tried and failed to hold a plane-guard station off the “Big E” back off San Diego when they were running flight ops... Back after one of their SLEP availabilities...Sometime back in 1986 IIRC...

That was one fast ship!!! Almost made a respectable rooster-tail!!! ;-)

All three of those ships are gone now...

How time flies...