_underway_in_the_Atlantic_Ocean_on_14_June_2004_(040614-N-0119G-020).jpg) USSEnterprise underway in the Atlantic Ocean | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Enterprise-classaircraft carrier |
| Builders | Newport News Shipbuilding |
| Operators |  United States Navy |
| Preceded by | Kitty Hawk class |
| Succeeded by | Nimitz class |
| Built | 1958–1961 |
| In service |
|
| Planned | 6 |
| Completed | 1 |
| Cancelled | 5 |
| Retired | 1 |
| History | |
 United States | |
| Name | Enterprise |
| Namesake | USS Enterprise (CV-6) |
| Ordered | 15 November 1957 |
| Builder | Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company |
| Cost | $451.3 million[1] |
| Laid down | 4 February 1958 |
| Launched | 24 September 1960 |
| Christened | 24 September 1960 |
| Acquired | 29 October 1961 |
| Commissioned | 25 November 1961 |
| Decommissioned | 3 February 2017 |
| In service | 12 January 1962 |
| Out of service | 1 December 2012 |
| Reclassified | CVN-65 from CVA(N)-65, 30 June 1975 |
| Refit | 27 September 1994 |
| Stricken | 3 February 2017 |
| Motto |
|
| Nickname(s) | Big E[2] |
| Status | Awaiting recycling at HII Shipyard, Newport News, Virginia |
| Badge | _coat_of_arms.png) |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Enterprise-class aircraft carrier |
| Displacement | 93,284-long-ton (94,781 t) full load[3] |
| Length | |
| Beam |
|
| Draft | 39 ft (12 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 33.6 kn (38.7 mph; 62.2 km/h)[6] |
| Range | Unlimited distance; 20–25 years |
| Complement |
|
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys | |
| Armament |
|
| Armor | 8 in (20 cm) aluminum belt (equivalent to 4 in (10 cm) rolled homogeneous steel armor), armored flight deck, hangar, magazines, and reactor[8][9] |
| Aircraft carried |
|
| Aviation facilities | Flight deck: 1,123 ft (342 m) |
| Notes | Equipped with 4 steam-powered catapults.[11] |
USSEnterprise (CVN-65), formerlyCVA(N)-65, is a decommissioned[3]United States Navyaircraft carrier. In 1958, she became the firstnuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the United States Navy, and the world, as well as the eighth United States naval vessel to bearthe name. Likeher predecessor ofWorld War II fame, she is nicknamed "Big E". At 1,123 feet (342 m),[4][5] she is thelongest naval vessel ever built and the only ship of her class, which was originally planned to have five other ships. Her 93,284-long-ton (94,781 t)[3] displacement ranks her class as the third-largest carrier class, after theNimitz class and theGerald R. Ford class.Enterprise had a crew of some 4,600 service members.[10]
Enterprise[12] was, at the time of inactivation, the third-oldestcommissioned vessel in the United States Navy after the wooden-hulledUSS Constitution andUSS Pueblo (AGER-2).[13] She was inactivated on 1 December 2012,[14] and officially decommissioned on 3 February 2017,[15][16] after over 55 years of service.[17][18] She was stricken from theNaval Vessel Register the same day.[3] The name has been adopted by the futureGerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrierUSS Enterprise (CVN-80).[19][20]
Designed under projectSCB 160,[21] USSEnterprise was intended as the lead ship of a new class of six nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, but massive increases in construction costs led to the remaining vessels being cancelled.
Enterprise is the only aircraft carrier to house more than two nuclear reactors,[4] having an eight-reactor propulsion design, with eachA2W reactor taking the place of one of the conventional boilers in earlier constructions.[22] She is the only carrier with four rudders, two more than other classes, and features a morecruiser-like hull.[23]
Originally intended to make use of the new C-14 Internal Combustion Catapult Powerplant developed byReaction Motors,[24] the ship was converted to use C-13 steam catapults shortly after launch at the behest ofAdmiral Rickover, who saw the new catapults as an unnecessary risk and expense given the ship's already extreme cost.[25]
Because of the huge cost of her construction,Enterprise was launched and commissioned without the plannedRIM-2 Terrier missile launchers.[26] Initially, the carrier had little defensive armament.[21][27][a] Late in 1967,Enterprise was fitted with a prototype Basic Point Defense Missile System (BPDMS) installation, with two eight-round box launchers forSea Sparrow missiles.[21][29] A third BPDMS launcher was fitted during the ship's refit in 1970–1971.[30]
Later upgrades added two NATO Sea Sparrow (NSSM) and three Mk 15Phalanx CIWS gun mounts.[31] One CIWS mount was later removed and two 21-cellRIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile launchers were added.[32][33]
Enterprise had aphased-array radar system known asSCANFAR, which was intended to be better at tracking multiple airborne targets than conventional rotating antenna radars. SCANFAR consisted of two radars, the AN/SPS-32 and the AN/SPS-33. The AN/SPS-32 was a long-range air search and target-acquisition radar developed byHughes for the US Navy. The AN/SPS-32 operated together with the AN/SPS-33, which was the square array used for three-dimensional tracking, into one system. It was installed on only two vessels,Enterprise and the cruiserUSS Long Beach, placing an unacceptable power drain on the electrical systems of both ships.[citation needed]
The technology of the AN/SPS-32 was based onvacuum tubes, and the system required constant repairs. The SPS-32 was a phased-array radar, which had a range of 400 nautical miles against large targets, and 200 nautical miles against small, fighter-sized targets.[34] These early phased arrays, replaced around 1980, were responsible for the distinctive square-looking island.[11]
The AN/SPS-32 and AN/SPS-33 radars, while ahead of their time, suffered from issues relating to the electrical beam steering mechanism and were not pursued in further ship classes. While they are considered to be an early form of "phased-array" radar, the later technology of the Aegis phased-array AN/SPY-1 with its electronically controlled beam steering was needed to make phased array radars both reliable and practical for the USN.[35] The dome above the SCANFAR contained the unique electronic warfare suite, the Andrew Alford AA-8200 dipole antennae (which never acquired a military designation). The system consisted of six rows of antennae encircling the dome. The antennae in the upper two rows were encased in pipingradomes, as they were small and fragile.
The ship'skeel was laid atNewport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Shipway 11 on 4 February 1958. On 24 September 1960, the ship waslaunched,sponsored by the wife ofWilliam B. Franke, thenSecretary of the Navy. On 25 November 1961,Enterprise was officially commissioned, withCaptainVincent P. de Poix, formerly of Fighting Squadron 6 onher predecessor,[36] in command. On 12 January 1962, the ship made her maiden voyage starting an extensive shakedown cruise and a lengthy series of tests and training exercises designed to determine the full capabilities of thenuclear powered super carrier.[37] A full-speed run with her escort,USS Laffey, demonstrated the sheer power and speed ofEnterprise's novel nuclear propulsion plant; afterwards,Laffey radioed, "You win the race. Fuel gone, topside salted, crew wet, and engines tired."[38] On 20 February 1962,Enterprise was a tracking and measuring station for the flight ofFriendship 7, theProject Mercury space capsule in which Lieutenant ColonelJohn H. Glenn Jr. made the first American orbital spaceflight.[39]Enterprise completed shakedown activities atNaval Station Norfolk on 5 April 1962.[37]
_(21305680371).jpg) |  USSEnterprise, official postmark and cachet mailed duringGuantanamo (GITMO) Shake Down Cruise 10 February 1962 |
On 25 June 1962,Enterprise joined the2nd Fleet on her initial operational deployment, carrying out training off the US East Coast, and took part in ExerciseLantFlex 2-62, a nuclear strike exercise, in conjunction with the carrierForrestal from 6–12 July.[40][39] In August, the carrier joined the6th Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, returning toNorfolk, Virginia, on 11 October 1962.[40]
In October 1962,Enterprise was dispatched to her first international crisis. Following revelations that the Soviet Union was constructingnuclear missile launch sites on Cuba, PresidentJohn F. Kennedy ordered theUnited States Department of Defense to conduct a large-scale buildup. Among the preparations, the USAtlantic Fleet readied large numbers of its ships. On 22 October, President Kennedy ordered a naval and air "quarantine" (blockade) on shipment of offensive military equipment to Cuba and demanded theSoviets dismantle the missile sites there. Five Second Fleet carriers participated in the blockade—Enterprise (as part of Task Force 135),Independence,Essex,Lake Champlain, andRandolph, backed by shore-based aircraft. By 28 October, the crisis was both peacefully and successfully averted, after the United States secretly agreed to remove nuclear missiles from Italy and Turkey.[41]
_christening_at_Neport_News_SB_1960.jpg) |  | .jpg) |
On 19 December 1962, aGrumman E-2 Hawkeye wascatapulted offEnterprise in the first shipboard test of a nose-wheel launch bar designed to replace the catapult bridle.[42] Minutes later, a second launch with a launch bar was made by aGrumman A-6A Intruder, demonstrating one of the primary design goals of reducing launch intervals.[43]
In 1963–1964, now under command of CaptainFrederick H. Michaelis,Enterprise made her second and thirddeployments to the Mediterranean.
%2c_USS_Long_Beach_(CGN-9)_and_USS_Bainbridge_(DLGN-25)_underway_in_the_Mediterranean_Sea_during_Operation_Sea_Orbit%2c_in_1964.jpg)
During her third deployment, the carrier was part ofOperation Sea Orbit, the world's first nuclear-powered task force with the cruisersLong Beach andBainbridge, together forming a convoy to sail around the world. On 25 February 1964, a crewman of the Finnish merchant shipVerna Paulin was injured in a fall while the ship was in the vicinity ofSouda Bay, Greece.Enterprise answered her call for assistance. A surgeon was transferred toVerna Paulin by helicopter.[39] In October 1964,Enterprise returned to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company for her firstrefueling and overhaul. During this refit, her eight nuclear reactors, which had poweredEnterprise as she steamed over 200,000 nmi (230,000 mi; 370,000 km), were refueled, two of her propeller shafts were replaced, and the ship's electronics were updated.Enterprise emerged from her refit on 22 June 1965 and returned to action.[44]
In November 1965,Enterprise was transferred to theSeventh Fleet, home-ported atNAS Alameda, California. The following month, on 2 December, she became the first nuclear-powered ship to engage in combat when she launched aircraft against theViet Cong nearBiên Hòa City. The ship ledCarrier Division Three, withEnterprise (redesignatedCVA(N)-65), which hadCarrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9) aboard,Bainbridge;Barry; andSamuel B. Roberts.Enterprise launched 125sorties on the first day, unleashing 167 short tons (151 t) of bombs and rockets on the enemy's supply lines. On 3 December, she set a record of 165 strike sorties in a single day.[45]
In January 1966, the aircraft carrier was continuing operations as a unit ofTask Force 77 in theGulf of Tonkin, as the flagship of Rear Admiral Henry L. Miller, Commander Carrier Division Three.[46] Under the command of CaptainJames L. Holloway III, she was carrying a complement of about 350 officers and 4,800 men. Four West Coast squadrons of CVW-9, commanded by Commander F. T. Brown, were embarked;VF-92, under Commander E. A. Rawsthorne, andVF-96, under Commander R. D. Norman, flyingF-4B Phantom IIs;VA-93 under Commander A. J. Monger, andVA-94, under Commander O. E. Krueger, flyingA-4C Skyhawks. With these squadrons were three others based on the East Coast;VA-36, under Commander J. E. Marshall,VA-76, under Commander J. B. Linder, flying A-4C Skyhawks; andRVAH-7, under Commander K. Enny, flyingRA-5C Vigilantes. Rear Admiral Miller was relieved as Commander Carrier Division Three by Rear Admiral T. J. Walker on 16 February 1966. During the change-of-command ceremony on theflight deck, Rear Admiral Miller praised the ship's performance in his farewell remarks and presented air medals to more than 100 pilots and flight officers.[47]
The ship tied up at Leyte Pier,U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay, on the evening of 8 December 1966.[46] Loading of supplies for the first line period was started immediately. Rear Admiral Walter L Curtis Jr, CommanderCarrier Division Nine, brought his flag aboard. In company withManley,Gridley, andBainbridge,Enterprise sailed for Yankee Station on 15 December, and took up her position there three days later.[citation needed]
WhenEnterprise departed the Gulf of Tonkin on 20 June 1967, her pilots had flown more than 13,400 battle missions during 132 combat days of operations. (Enterprise Command History 1967, 29) As Vice Admiral Hyland stated in his congratulatory statement, "the entire Air Wing Nine has earned a resounding 'Well Done'." The carrier had steamed 67,630 miles in operations with the Seventh Fleet. She arrived in Subic Bay on 22 June and departed on 25 June for return to Alameda on 6 July 1967.[citation needed]
.jpg)
At Alameda,Enterprise began an overhaul. CaptainKent Lee relieved Captain James L. Holloway as commanding officer in ceremonies on 11 July 1967. Shipyard work was completed on 5 September 1967, and after completing sea trials on 7 September,Enterprise steamed south from San Francisco Bay to San Diego to re-embark CVW-9 and get underway for refresher training off the California coast.[citation needed]
Enterprise was visiting Sasebo, Japan, in January 1968 when the US intelligence shipUSS Pueblo was seized by North Korea, and she served as flagship of TF 71 (Rear Admiral Epes), which had been formed in response and they operated nearSouth Korean waters for almost a month, duringOperation Formation Star. When diplomatic negotiations had defused tensions,Enterprise and her escorts were released to head south to Yankee Station on 16 February 1968.Enterprise returned to NAS Alameda on 18 July 1968, having completed 12,839 catapult launches, with 12,246 sorties – 9,182 of them combat. After a short overhaul in Puget Sound Naval Shipyard from 29 July to 26 September, she returned to Alameda to prepare for another deployment to Vietnam.[citation needed]
_alongside_burning_USS_Enterprise_(CVN-65).jpg)
During the morning of 14 January 1969, while being escorted by the destroyersBenjamin Stoddert andRogers, aMK-32 Zuni rocket loaded on a parked F-4 Phantom exploded when ordnancecooked off after being overheated by an aircraft start unit.[48] The explosion set off fires and additional explosions across the flight deck.[citation needed]
The fires were brought under control relatively quickly (when compared with previous carrier flight deck fires), but 27 sailors were killed, and an additional 314 sailors were injured. The fire destroyed 15 aircraft, and the resulting damage forcedEnterprise to put in for repairs atPearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Hawaii, primarily to repair the flight deck's armored plating.[49] On 1 March 1969, repairs to the ship were completed and the ship proceeded on her scheduled western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployment to Vietnam and the Tonkin Gulf. These destinations would be delayed by events in the eastern Sea of Japan.[50]
_burning%2c_stern_view.jpg)
On 14 April 1969, tensions with North Korea flared again as aNorth Korean aircraftshot down aLockheed EC-121 Warning Star that was on a reconnaissance patrol over the eastern Sea of Japan from its base atAtsugi, Japan. The entire 31-man crew was killed. The US responded by activating Task Force 71 (TF 71) to protect future such flights over thoseinternational waters. Initially, the task force was to compriseEnterprise,Ticonderoga,Ranger, andHornet with a screen of cruisers and destroyers.Enterprise arrived on station with TF 71 in late April after completion of repairs. The ships for TF 71 came mostly from Southeast Asia duty. This deployment became one of the largest shows of force in the area since the Korean War.[citation needed]
In 1969–1970,Enterprise returned to Newport News Shipbuilding and went through an overhaul and her second refitting. In January 1971, she completed sea trials with newly designed nuclear reactor cores that contained enough energy for 10 years. On 11 June 1971Enterprise, with CaptainForrest S. Petersen now in command andCarrier Air Wing Fourteen (CVW-14) onboard, then departed for Vietnam again.[51]: 423
_and_USS_Hassayampa_(AO-145)_1973.jpg)
Enterprise,Oriskany andMidway launched a total of 2,001 strike sorties by 30 July 1971. Strike operations in July were disrupted when the carriers on station evaded threetyphoons: Harriet, Kim, and Jean. A slight increase inSouth Vietnam strike sorties occurred during the month. These were mainly visual strikes against enemy troop positions and in support of U.S.helicopter operations. From August–November 1971,Enterprise was in operations onYankee Station.[51]: 423
In December 1971, CaptainErnest E. Tissot Jr. assumed command, andEnterprise was deployed to theBay of Bengal, during theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971 as a show of strength against India's naval blockade byINSVikrant. Later, aSoviet Navy submarine was also trailing the US task force. A confrontation was averted whenEnterprise moved away from the Indian Ocean toward Southeast Asia.[52]Enterprise completed her deployment on 12 February 1972.[51]: 423
Enterprise returned to the South China Sea from 12 September 1972 with CVW-14 onboard.[51]: 424 On 18 December 1972, the United States resumed bombing campaigns above the 20th parallel under the nameLinebacker II. During Linebacker II operations,Enterprise and other carriers on station reseeded the mine fields inHaiphong harbor and conducted concentrated strikes against surface-to-air missile and antiaircraft artillery sites, enemy army barracks, petroleum storage areas, Haiphong naval and shipyard areas, and railroad and truck stations. Navy tactical air attack sorties under Linebacker II were centered in the coastal areas around Hanoi and Haiphong. There were 705 Navy sorties in this area during Linebacker II. Between 18 and 22 December, the Navy conducted 119 Linebacker II strikes in North Vietnam, with the main limiting factor on airstrikes being bad weather.[citation needed] In December 1972, the North Vietnamese returned to the peace table and Linebacker II ended. In January 1973, the Vietnam cease fire was announced, and American carriers ceased all combat sorties into North and South Vietnam.[citation needed] From 28 January 1973, aircraft fromEnterprise andRanger flew 81 combat sorties against lines-of-communication targets inLaos. The corridor for overflights was betweenHuế andDa Nang in South Vietnam. These combat support sorties were flown in support of the Laotian government, which had requested this assistance. Laos had no relationship with the ceasefire in Vietnam.[citation needed]Enterprise completed her deployment on 12 June 1973.[51]: 424
After the cease fire in Vietnam in 1973,Enterprise proceeded to thePuget Sound Naval Shipyard,Bremerton, Washington, where the carrier was altered and refitted to support the Navy's newest fighter aircraft – theGrumman F-14 Tomcat. Two of fourjet blast deflectors were enlarged to accommodate the Tomcat. The No. 4 propulsion shaft was replaced; it had been bent when its screw became fouled in a discardedarresting gear cable.[citation needed]
On 18 March 1974, the first operational Tomcats ofVF-1 Wolfpack andVF-2 Bounty Hunters made their maiden takeoffs and landings from the carrier. In September 1974,Enterprise became the first carrier to deploy with the new fighter plane when she made her seventh WESTPAC deployment.[51]: 426
In February 1975,Typhoon Gervaise struck the island nation ofMauritius, andEnterprise was ordered to provide disaster relief. Arriving atPort Louis, carrier personnel spent more than 10,000man-hours rendering such assistance as restoring water, power, and telephone systems, clearing roads and debris, and providing helicopter, medical, food and drinkable water support to the stricken area.[citation needed]
_returning_from_Saigon_evacuation_1975.jpeg)
In April 1975,Enterprise,Midway,Coral Sea,Hancock andOkinawa were deployed to waters off South Vietnam for possible evacuation contingencies asNorth Vietnam, in violation of theParis Peace Accords, launched a conventional invasion of South Vietnam. On 29 April,Operation Frequent Wind was carried out by U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps helicopters from the 7th Fleet. The operation involved the evacuation of American citizens and "at-risk" Vietnamese fromSaigon, the capital of South Vietnam under heavy attack from the invading forces of North Vietnam.[53]
PresidentGerald Ford ordered helicopter evacuation whenPAVN shelling forced the cessation of fixed-wing evacuation fromTan Son Nhut Airport. With fighter cover provided by carrier aircraft, the helicopters landed at theUS Embassy, Saigon, and theDAO Compound to pick up evacuees. The last helicopter lifted off the roof of the United States Embassy at 7:53 am, local time, on 30 April 1975 carrying the last 11Marine security guards. During Operation Frequent Wind, aircraft fromEnterprise flew 95 sorties.[53] VF-1 and VF-2, flying fromEnterprise, made the first combat deployment of the F-14 Tomcat.[54]
In July 1976,Enterprise began her eighth Western Pacific deployment. Beginning in October, she took part in theANZUS exercise Kangaroo II with ships of the Australian and New Zealand Navies.[55]
One of the ports visited wasHobart, Tasmania in November 1976. It had also been the first time an American ship anchored in the capital's harbor, Hobart, since the early 1920s. A beer with a picture of theEnterprise for its label was just one of the commemorations received by the renowned nuclear carrier.[citation needed]
In February 1977,Idi Amin, the president ofUganda, made derogatory remarks against the United States in public, and Americans in Uganda were taken hostage. This was several months after theIsraeliraid at Entebbe airport.Enterprise and her escort ships were scheduled to transit home after a seven-month deployment, but having just leftMombasa after a port call, were directed to remain in the area and operated off the East African coast for about one week. The ship's Marine detachment and air wing prepared for a possible mission to rescue and evacuate the Americans, but Amin eventually released all the hostages. The ships then steamed across the Indian Ocean at high speed to make a previously scheduled final port call atNAS Cubi Point in the Philippines before returning to NAS Alameda.[citation needed]
In 1978,Enterprise underwent her ninth Western Pacific deployment, the last before the ship's planned major refit. The 1978 WESTPAC cruise included port calls in Hong Kong, Perth, Australia, and Singapore, and ended at the end of the year. In January 1979, the carrier arrived at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for the intended 36-month refurbishment. This overhaul modified the ship's superstructure – removing the SCANFAR radars and the unique inverted, cone-shaped top section, which was three stories high. During the lengthy overhaul, Navy and shipyard personnel referred toEnterprise as Building 65.[citation needed]
_after_refit_1982.jpg)
In 1982, the carrier made her 10th WESTPAC deployment. In April 1983,Enterprise ran aground on a sandbar in San Francisco Bay while returning from deployment, and remained stuck there for several hours.[56] Coincidentally,George Takei, who played Mr. Sulu, helmsman of the fictional starshipEnterprise, was aboard at the time as a guest of the Navy.[57] Though groundings and collisions are usually career-ending events for U.S. warship captains, the captain at the time,Robert J. Kelly, who had already been selected for promotion to commodore, eventually became a four-star admiral andcommander-in-chief of the US Pacific Fleet.[58]
_Coral_Sea_(CV-43)_and_Enterprise_(CVN-65)_off_Alaska_1983.JPEG)
In 1985, the Enterprise began training for her 11th WESTPAC deployment. Late at night on 2 November 1985 with CaptainRobert L. Leuschner Jr. on the bridge, she struck Bishop Rock on theCortes Bank during flight exercises, damaging the outer hull with a gash more than 100 feet in length and knocking out of one screw, a chip whose size was illustrated with a photograph of a Navy diver stretched out and reclining inside the notch.[citation needed] The cost of repairing the damage was $17 million, and Leuschner was relieved of command on 27 January 1986 as a result of the incident, by CaptainRobert J. Spane.[59]
In 1986, the carrier made her 12th WESTPAC deployment, leaving on 15 January 1986. She led Battle Group FOXTROT, includingTruxtun,Arkansas,O'Brien,Reasoner,Lewis B. Puller,McClusky,David R. Ray andWabash. The Battle Group sailed directly for the Indian Ocean, with stops in Hawaii, Subic Bay, and Singapore.[60] On 28 April 1986,Enterprise became the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to transit theSuez Canal. She went from theRed Sea to the Mediterranean to relieveCoral Sea, on station withAmerica off the coast ofLibya.Enterprise entered the Mediterranean to support "Operation El Dorado Canyon", the US bombing of Libya. It was the ship's first visit to the Mediterranean in more than 22 years. During the deployment, Rear Admiral J.T. Howe was relieved as CommanderCruiser-Destroyer Group 3 by Rear Admiral Paul David Miller.[61]
_1987.JPEG)
In February 1988,Enterprise underwent her 13th deployment and was assigned toOperation Earnest Will, escorting reflaggedKuwaiti oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. On 14 April, another Earnest Will ship,Samuel B. Roberts, struck an Iranian mine ininternational waters. In response, the US launchedOperation Praying Mantis against Iranian targets, starting with two Iranianoil platforms that were being used as support bases for Iranian attacks on merchant shipping.Aircraft fromEnterprise'sCVW-11 bombed two Iranian frigates, helping to sink one and damaged the other, and provided other air support for the strike.[62]
In September 1989,Enterprise left Alameda and began her 14th overseas deployment, an around-the-world cruise that would end at the ship's new homeport ofNaval Station Norfolk, Virginia. In early December 1989,Enterprise andMidway participated inOperation Classic Resolve, PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush's response to Philippine PresidentCorazon Aquino's request for air support during the rebel coup attempt.Enterprise remained on station conducting flight operations in the waters outside Manila Bay until the situation subsided.[citation needed]
In April 1990,Enterprise completed her around-the-world deployment, arriving inNorfolk, Virginia, after having steamed more than 43,000 mi (69,000 km) (nautical). In October, the carrier moved to Newport News Shipbuilding for refueling and the Navy's largestcomplex overhaul refit ever attempted. On 27 September 1994,Enterprise returned to sea for sea trials, now with CaptainRichard J. Naughton in command, during which she performed an extended full power run as fast as when she was new.[63]
On 28 June 1996,Enterprise began her 15th overseas deployment. The carrier enforced no-fly zones in Bosnia as part ofOperation Joint Endeavor and over Iraq as part ofOperation Southern Watch. The deployment ended in December 1996, which also marked the end of active service for theGrumman A-6 Intruder from the Navy. February 1997,Enterprise entered Newport News Shipbuilding for an extended selective restrictive availability lasting four-and-a-half months.[citation needed]
In November 1998, following workups,Enterprise departed on her 16th overseas deployment, withCVW-3 embarked. On the night of 8 November, shortly after the start of the deployment, aNorthrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler crashed into aLockheed S-3 Viking on the carrier's flight deck. The mishap occurred as the EA-6B was landing during nightcarrier qualifications, striking the folded wings of the S-3, which had not yet cleared the landing area of the flight deck.[64]
The four-man crew of the EA-6B perished when the aircraft hit the water, but the two crew members of the S-3ejected. A fire broke out on the flight deck but was quickly extinguished by the flight deck crew.[65] Three of the four members of the Prowler crew were lost at sea, and the remains of the fourth were recovered shortly after the crash. The crew of the Viking were rushed to theNaval Medical Center Portsmouth, Virginia. There were no other significant injuries. An exhaustive search for three missing EA-6B Prowler crew members was suspended after nearly 24 hours.[66][67]
On 23 November 1998,Enterprise relievedDwight D. Eisenhower in the Persian Gulf.
During a port call in Jebel Ali, UAE, the carrier hosted former president George H. W. Bush and enjoyed a live concert by rock groupHootie & the Blowfish.[68]
In December 1998,Enterprise battlegroup spearheadedOperation Desert Fox, destroying Iraqi military targets with more than 300Tomahawk land attack missiles and 691,000 lb (346 short tons; 313 tonnes) of ordnance. The 70-hour assault was carried out byEnterprise,Gettysburg,Stout,Nicholson andMiami.[citation needed]
Shortly after theRačak massacre and failure ofYugoslavianpeace talks inRambouillet, France,Enterprise quickly left a port visit inCannes, France, to return to theAdriatic.[citation needed]
In early March 1999,Enterprise returned to the Persian Gulf to relieveCarl Vinson in support ofOperation Southern Watch, returning to Norfolk in May 1999.[citation needed]
During the 1998–1999 deployment,Enterprise steamed more than 50,000 nmi (93,000 km; 58,000 mi) and spent 151 days underway.Enterprise Battle Group was the first to deploy withIT-21, which allowed unprecedented internal and external communication capabilities, including Internet, email, and television.[citation needed]
In March 2001,Enterprise took part in the exerciseJTFEX 01-2 in theCaribbean Sea.[69]U24, aType 206 class diesel-electric submarine with theGerman Navy, managed to "sink" theEnterprise by firingflares and taking a photograph through itsperiscope.[70]
On 25 April 2001,Enterprise began her 17th overseas deployment withCVW-8 embarked and CaptainJames A. Winnefeld Jr. in command. From 18–28 June, the carrier and four escorts participated in an exercise with theRoyal Navy in a joint and combined warfare training exercise in theNorth Sea, near theHebrides and inScotland.[citation needed]
Enterprise was beginning her voyage home from thePersian Gulf when theSeptember 11 attacks were carried out. Without orders, the carrier returned to the waters off Southwest Asia near thePersian Gulf, outrunning her escorts.[71] In October 2001, the United States launched air attacks againstAl-Qaeda training camps andTaliban military installations inAfghanistan. The actions were designed to disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a base for terrorist operations and to attack the military capability of the Taliban regime.[citation needed]
Over three weeks, aircraft fromEnterprise flew nearly 700 missions and dropped over 800,000 lb (400 short tons; 360 t) of ordnance over Afghanistan.[72] On 10 November, the carrier arrived at her home port ofNorfolk, Virginia, 16 days later than originally planned. During her last day at sea, the ship hosted a live two-hour broadcast ofABC'sGood Morning America.Garth Brooks performed a concert withJewel fromEnterprise on 21 November while she was docked in Norfolk, Virginia. The concert was carried live onCBS. On Pearl Harbor Day (7 December 2001), PresidentGeorge W. Bush addressed the sailors ofEnterprise from her flight deck.[73]
In January 2002,Enterprise entered theNorfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia for a scheduled one-year Extended Dry Docking Selected Restricted Availability.[citation needed]
_Damage_Control_Team_test_their_fire-fighting_agent.jpg)
From September 2003 to February 2004, the ship deployed to relieve the four carriers that were on station during theinvasion of Iraq. Enterprise's role was to provide continued air support for Operation Iraqi Freedom. The fully repairedCole was a member of her escort group at this time. A USO tour was held aboard while at sea, with wrestlerKurt Angle, NASCAR racerMike Wallace, and comedianRobin Williams giving talks and performances. The ship made several port-calls to Jebel Ali, a stop in Bahrain (during which actorBen Affleck visited the ship), and Naples, Italy and Cartegna, Spain on the way home. AdmiralJames Stavridis commanded the battle group at this time with Captain Eric Neidlinger asEnterprise's commanding officer.[citation needed]
_(2003).jpg)
2005 saw the ship in for another routine shipyard overhaul at Newport News Shipyard in Newport News, Virginia. Departing the dock after this yard period,Enterprise ran through a sand bar, causing all eight reactors to shut down, leaving the ship adrift on emergency power for nearly three hours before she was tugged back to her pier at Norfolk Naval Base. It took about three days for the ship's nuclear machinists to clear her condensers of river mud.[74]
In May 2006,Enterprise departed for a six-month deployment, operating in the6th,5th and7th Fleet areas in a world-tour, supporting Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, and visiting ports in Dubai, Hong Kong, andcrossing the line. She returned to Norfolk on 18 November 2006.[74]
On 19 December 2007, the carrier returned home after a six-month deployment in the Persian Gulf.[75]
In April 2008,Enterprise entered the Northrop-Grumman Newport News shipyard for a scheduled 18-month Extended Docking Selected Restricted Availability, with a projected completion date of September 2009. As maintenance was performed, costs continued to rise above projections and the completion date repeatedly slid.Enterprise, the oldest active combat vessel in the Navy, was scheduled to be decommissioned as late as 2014. On 6 April 2009, AdmiralGary Roughead,Chief of Naval Operations, said that he was seeking a congressional dispensation to speed up the process to decommissionEnterprise. Under this new timetable, the ship would complete one final deployment before being decommissioned in late 2012 or early 2013. This would temporarily reduce the US Navy to having only ten active aircraft carriers through the launch of theGerald R. Ford in 2015. In October 2009, the House and Senate Armed Services Committees agreed with the recommendation, approving the decommissioning ofEnterprise in 2013 after 51 years of service.[13]
_and_USS_Dwight_D._Eisenhower_(CVN_69)_pass_as_Enterprise_returns_to_homepo.jpg)
In April 2010, the Navy announced that the cost of refurbishing the carrier had risen to $655 million and was scheduled to be completed the same month.[76] On 19 April 2010,Enterprise left theNorthrop Grumman shipyard to conduct sea trials in preparation for return to the fleet.[77] The total cost of refurbishing the carrier was $662 million, which was 46% over budget, while the programme of work took eight months longer than scheduled. The Navy said it planned to use the carrier for two six-month deployments before her scheduled 2013 decommissioning date.[78]
On 1 January 2011, the Virginian-Pilot leaked highlights from the final video of a set entitled "XO Movie Night" that was filmed onEnterprise and aired via closed circuit television on select Saturday evenings. The videos, which were not meant for release outside the command, were produced by CaptainOwen Honors when he was executive officer (XO) of the ship in the 2006–07 timeframe and included profanity, anti-gay slurs, and sexually suggestive scenes.[79][80]
Captain Honors received public support from Navy personnel,[81] but on 4 January 2011, Admiral John C. Harvey Jr., the commander of the United States Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk removed Honors for demonstrating poor judgment. CaptainDee Mewbourne was appointed as replacement commander.[82] Forty officers and enlisted sailors, including sixflag officers, were later disciplined to varying extents over the incident.[83]
The carrier and her strike group deployed on 13 January 2011. Accompanying the carrier on the cruise to the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean wereCarrier Air Wing One, guided-missile cruiserLeyte Gulf, and guided-missile destroyersBarry,Bulkeley, andMason.[84] In February 2011,Enterprise was involved in anincident withSomali pirates, an event that ended in the deaths of four American citizens and two pirates. According to official reports of this incident provided by the navy, two pirates died; with another two dying at an unknown earlier time.[85]
The carrier returned to Norfolk on 15 July 2011. During her deployment,Enterprise had participated in operations that captured 75 Somali pirates and its strike group made missile strikes against the Libyan government.[86]
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11 March 2012 began the final deployment from Norfolk homeport with Carrier Group ShipsUSS Vicksburg,Porter,Nitze andJames E. Williams and on 9 April 2012, the Navy announced thatEnterprise and her group,Carrier Strike Group Twelve, would be assigned to joinAbraham Lincoln in the Persian Gulf. The mission was described as routine, not a response to a specific threat. Upon completion of this cruise in fall 2012,Enterprise was officially taken out of service, and was ordered to report back immediately to Norfolk for immediate deactivation, and eventual decommissioning.[87]
In October 2012,Enterprise transited the Suez Canal for the final time.[88] She paid her last foreign port call when she visitedNaples, Italy, between 16–21 October, which had been the Big E's first foreign port-of-call fifty years earlier.[89][90]
On 4 November 2012,Enterprise returned to her homeport at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, for the last time. While on the journey, the carrier cruised nearly 81,000 miles in a 238-day deployment to the Persian Gulf and her aircraft flew more than 2,000 sorties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.[91]
Enterprise was deactivated on 1 December 2012 at Norfolk Naval Station, Virginia. The deactivation ofEnterprise resulted in a one-time increase of approximately $857.3 million in depot maintenance costs for the US Navy's operation and maintenance budget for Fiscal Year 2013.[92]
Enterprise was the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be decommissioned.[93] Naval enthusiasts requested thatEnterprise be converted into a museum.[94][95] By 2012, this was deemed too expensive to make such an effort practical, in addition to the fact that the ship would need to be partially dismantled anyway to remove the eight reactors safely.[18] A petition was also set up for the next carrier to be named as the ninth USSEnterprise.[96]
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At the inactivation ceremony,Secretary of the NavyRay Mabus announced that the nextGerald R. Ford-class carrier,CVN-80, would be namedEnterprise.[97] VIPs present for the ceremony included several former commanding officers, a granddaughter of the ship's sponsor, and a formerA-6 pilot,Eugene McDaniel, who had been shot down and captured inNorth Vietnam and was returning to the ship for the first time since the day he was shot down.[98]
_Dismantling%2c_December_2014.png)
On 8 February 2013, theUnited States Department of Defense announced that a number of nuclear projects would have to be postponed until the upcomingbudget sequestration issue was resolved. These include the planned de-fueling ofEnterprise as well as mid-life overhauls (including nuclear refueling) for twoNimitz-class ships.[99] The contract for de-fuelingEnterprise was eventually awarded toHuntington Ingalls Industries in June 2013.[100]
In October 2014, Newport News Shipbuilding announced that one ofEnterprise's anchors, removed from the ship during deactivation, had been transferred toAbraham Lincoln during herRCOH.[101] In early 2017, it was announced that steel from CVN-65 will be recycled and used to construct CVN-80.[102] Over 35,000 pounds of steel has been removed from CVN-65 and repurposed into CVN-80.[103] The crew of the ship's final deployment built atime capsule constructed from her steel and wood to preserve the carrier's history for CVN-80.[104]
_at_Newport_News_Shipbuilding_on_15_July_2018_(180715-N-AO748-0061).JPG)
The final reactor was de-fueled in December 2016,[15] with Enterprise officially decommissioned on 3 February 2017.[105] The same day, the ship was stricken from theNaval Vessel Register (NVR). According to Navy Sea Systems Command, the recycling ofEnterprise was delayed by the Navy until further information on "more technically executable, environmentally responsible" approaches to disposing of the aircraft carrier became available.[106] On 10 April 2018, Newport News Shipbuilding announced thatEnterprise's inactivation process had been completed. Ex-Enterprise was stored atHampton Roads while disposal plans were determined by the Navy.[107]
The final disposal plan forEnterprise will be a long and complicated process. The carrier had eight reactors and numerous compartments contaminated by radiation and therefore could not be used as atarget ship in a SINKEX or live-fire training sinking exercise. The Navy set up a new office to organize the disposal ofEnterprise and the coming retirement of theNimitz-class carriers. Ultimately, it was decided to use a commercial facility to break the ship up, with scrapping to begin in 2025. The process is anticipated to take five years, withEnterprise to be gone completely by 2030.[108]
The total costs of scrappingEnterprise have been estimated at over $1 billion; however, as of 17 January 2025, scrapping remained delayed by local disputes over plans to scrap the carrier at Mobile, Alabama.[109][110] In June 2025, a $536 million contract was awarded to NorthStar Maritime Dismantlement Services LLC to dismantleEnterprise at Mobile.[111]
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| Joint Meritorious Unit Award | Navy Unit Commendation with threestars | Meritorious Unit Commendation with six stars |
| Navy E Ribbon with three Battle "E" devices | Navy Expeditionary Medal with one star | National Defense Service Medal with two stars |
| Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with nine stars | Vietnam Service Medal with ten stars | Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal with four stars |
| Armed Forces Service Medal with one star | Humanitarian Service Medal with one star | Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with twelve stars |
| Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry Cross) | Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation | Vietnam Campaign Medal |
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.| External media | |
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| Images | |
 "USSEnterprise (CVN-65)".Maritime quest. | |
| Video | |
 Enterprise in War. Nuclear Carrier Joins 7th Fleet, 1965/08/30 (1965).Internet Archive.Universal Studios. 1965. | |
| Vietnam Action.Enterprise Planes Support Troops, 1965/12/09 (1965).Internet Archive.Universal Studios. 1965. |
Media related toUSS Enterprise (CVN-65) at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by | USSEnterprise 1961–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Oldest active combat ship of theUnited States Navy 2009–2012 | Succeeded by |
36°58′50″N76°26′18″W / 36.9805°N 76.4384°W /36.9805; -76.4384
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