Tag Archives: uss enterprise retired

She deserved better

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65 years ago today. The well-traveled Yorktown-class aircraft carrier, ex-USS Enterprise (CVS-6) awaiting disposal at the New York Naval Shipyard on 22 June 1958. She was sold for scrapping ten days later, on 2 July.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph. Catalog #: USN 1036995

The new Forrestal-class supercarrier USS Independence (CVA-62), almost twice as large by displacement, is fitting out on the opposite side of the pier. Ships visible in the left foreground include (from the front): the destroyer escorts USS DeLong (DE-684), USS Coates (DE-685), and the diesel fleet boat USS Hoe (SS-258). Ten other destroyers are also present, as is a Liberty-type ship. The Schaefer Brewery is visible in the center background.

The 7th U.S. Navy ship to bear the name, Enterprise was present and in the thick of it at Midway, the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, the Santa Cruz Islands, Guadalcanal, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and the Leyte Gulf, winning 20 battlestars the hard way. From the period between USS Wasp‘s sinking on 15 September 1942 and USS Essex‘s entrance to the Pacific after rushed builder’s trials in May 1943, she and Saratoga, which earned 8 battlestars, were the only U.S. fleet carriers in the Pacific.

Decommissioned on 17 February 1947, the Big E was scrapped in 1958 though remnants of her have remained aboard both the 8th Enterprise (CVN-65) and the newest to carry the name, CVN-80.

Steel from CVN-65 will be recycled into the hull of the new USS Enterprise (CVN-80) as will the portholes from her Captain’s cabin (which were carried on CV-6 during WWII!) and her bell.

One of six porthole frames and covers removed from the bridge of USS Enterprise (CV-6) in 1958. These portholes were installed in the Captain’s cabin aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65) and are slated to be installed aboard the next ship to bear the name of Enterprise, CVN-80.

One of six porthole frames and covers was removed from the bridge of USS Enterprise (CV-6) in 1958. These portholes were installed in the Captain’s cabin aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65) and are slated to be installed aboard the next ship to bear the name of Enterprise, CVN-80.

 

Builders plaque from USS Enterprise (CV 6) at keel laying of CVN-80

Bomb and kamikaze fragments from USS Enterprise (CV 6) at keel laying of CVN-80

CVN-80 Moves Forward

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In 1775, the Continental Navy commissioned a sloop of war and dubbed her Enterprise. A second schooner followed in 1776 with the same name, one so good you had to see it twice on the Naval List.

In 1799 the third (and first “USS” Enterprise on the U.S. Navy List), an 84-foot 12-gun schooner was built, going on to capture eight French privateers during the Quasi-War and fire the first shots in the First Barbary War.

On 5 September 1813, the schooner Enterprise, commanded by Lieutenant William Burrows, captured the brig HMS Boxer off Portland, Maine

The fourth Enterprise (and second USS) was another schooner, and joined the fleet in 1831, going on to roam South America to patrol and protect commerce until she was sold in 1844.

The fifth Enterprise was a screw sloop of war that joined the Navy during the Great Repairs period of the 1870s and remained as a school ship through the time of the Great White Fleet, a remarkable (for the age) 32 years.

Training ship USS Enterprise, 1909, Boston Public Library Leslie Jones Collection

The sixth Enterprise was a civilian motorboat taken into service as S.P. 790 during the Great War to patrol the Second Naval District out of Newport.

The seventh USS Enterprise (CV-6) was the most famous, a Yorktown-class fleet carrier that made history at Midway and went on to be the most decorated and recognized U.S. ship of World War II, earning an amazing 20 battle stars as well as Presidential and Navy Unit Citations. Of note, four cruisers are tied for second place with 17 stars each.

USS Enterprise (CV-6) Operating in the Pacific, circa late June 1941. She is turning into the wind to recover aircraft. Note her natural wood flight deck stain and dark Measure One camouflage paint scheme. The flight deck was stained blue in July 1941, during camouflage experiments that gave her a unique deck stripe pattern. 80-G-K-14254

The eighth Enterprise (CVAN-65) was the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and completed a half-century in service through Vietnam and the Cold War, besting the venerable old sloop-of-war of the same name by two full decades.

NORFOLK, VA.-Sailors stand in formation to recreate the E=MC2 photo tradition on Feb. 17, 2011, in preparation for the 50th birthday of USS ENTERPRISE (CVN 65). The Enterprise is the first and oldest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier still in service and is celebrating its 50th birthday on Nov. 25, 2011. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd class Alex R. Forster/Released)

Now, the ninth ship and the third aircraft carrier in the history of the U.S. Navy to bear the name, CVN-80, will also be the first American super-carrier since USS America was commissioned in 1966 not to be named in honor of a person.

USS Enterprise (CVN-80) had her keel laid over the weekend. The ship’s Sponsors are Olympians Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky.

Awarded in 2016 and her first steel cut in 2017, the third Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier is expected to join the fleet in late 2025, likely replacing the second Nimitz-class carrier, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), which at that point will be 48-years-old and 20-years past her last refueling.

She will carry lots of history forward.

Steel from CVN-65 will be recycled into the hull of the new USS Enterprise (CVN-80) as will the portholes from her Captain’s cabin (which were carried on CV-6 during WWII!) and her bell.

One of six porthole frames and covers removed from the bridge of USS Enterprise (CV-6) in 1958. These portholes were installed in the Captain’s cabin aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65) and are slated to be installed aboard the next ship to bear the name of Enterprise, CVN-80.

One of six porthole frames and covers was removed from the bridge of USS Enterprise (CV-6) in 1958. These portholes were installed in the Captain’s cabin aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65) and are slated to be installed aboard the next ship to bear the name of Enterprise, CVN-80.

Plaque, Historical Data, USS Enterprise (CVN-65) 47 ¼” x 21 ½” x 1” Brass NHHC 2013.025.002 Headquarters Artifact Collection: Naval History and Heritage Command Eight U.S. Navy vessels have born the name Enterprise. This plaque displays the different engagements that each vessel bearing the name Enterprise was involved in since 1775. This plaque was on display aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) which is the longest serving aircraft carrier in United States Navy history with 51 years of active service.

Plaque, Historical Data, USS Enterprise (CVN-65) 47 ¼” x 21 ½” x 1” Brass NHHC 2013.025.002 Headquarters Artifact Collection: Naval History and Heritage Command Eight U.S. Navy vessels have born the name Enterprise. This plaque displays the different engagements that each vessel bearing the name Enterprise was involved in since 1775. This plaque was on display aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) which is the longest-serving aircraft carrier in United States Navy history with 51 years of active service.

Bell, Ship’s, USS Enterprise (CVN-65) 23” x 22”, 200 lbs. Brass NHHC 2013.025.001 Headquarters Artifact Collection: Naval History and Heritage Command This bell hung within the hull of USS Enterprise (CVN-65), the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. During its career, the ship saw service as a tracking station for the Friendship 7 space capsule, performed blockade duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis, had six combat deployments to Southeast Asia, was refitted to support the brand new F-14A Tomcat, and deployed to the North Arabian Sea in the fall of 2001 to take part in Operation Enduring Freedom.

Bell, Ship’s, USS Enterprise (CVN-65) 23” x 22”, 200 lbs. Brass NHHC 2013.025.001 Headquarters Artifact Collection: Naval History and Heritage Command This bell hung within the hull of USS Enterprise (CVN-65), the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. During its career, the ship saw service as a tracking station for the Friendship 7 space capsule, performed blockade duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis, had six combat deployments to Southeast Asia, was refitted to support the brand new F-14A Tomcat, and deployed to the North Arabian Sea in the fall of 2001 to take part in Operation Enduring Freedom.

And she will always endure in maritime art and in the hearts of those who walked her decks.

"Enterprise on Yankee Station" by R.G. Smith, Oil Painting, c. 1968. Accession: 88-160-EU Courtesy U.S. Navy Art Gallery, Naval History and Heritage Command

“Enterprise on Yankee Station” by R.G. Smith, Oil Painting, c. 1968. Accession: 88-160-EU Courtesy U.S. Navy Art Gallery, Naval History and Heritage Command

NHHC was on hand at the event with other relics that may or may not end up in the new carrier: 

Quarterdeck bell from USS Enterprise (CVN 65) at keel laying of CVN-80

Keel laying plaque from USS Enterprise (CVN 65) at keel laying of CVN-80

Builders plaque from USS Enterprise (CV 6) at keel laying of CVN-80

Bomb and kamikaze fragments from USS Enterprise (CV 6) at keel laying of CVN-80

The Enterprise is Dead….Long live the Enterprise

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Ray Mabus, a fellow Mississippian of mine, inactivated the USS Enterprise CVN-65 after 51 years of service today.

She will be hacked apart, her reactors recycled, and her steel turned into scrap iron.

However…a new USS Enterprise (CVN-80) will join the fleet in 2025 according to Mabus

 

enterprise decomissioned inactive

The video:

http://www.navy.mil/viewVideo.asp?id=17852

 

More:

NORFOLK (NNS) — Nearly 12,000 past and current crewmembers, family and friends attended the inactivation of aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) Dec. 1, 2012, at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.

Enterprise, the world’s first nuclear powered aircraft carrier, recently completed its 25th and final deployment and returned to its homeport of Naval Station Norfolk for a scheduled inactivation, held prior to the ship’s terminal offload program and subsequent decommissioning.

The inactivation ceremony was the last official public event for the ship, and served as a celebration of life for the ship and the more than 100,000 Sailors who served aboard.

The Chief of Naval Operations, the Commander of United States Fleet Forces, nine of twenty-three prior commanding officers, many decorated war heroes, and thousands of Enterprise veterans attended the event.

“Enterprise is a special ship and crew, and it was special long before I got here” said Captain William C. Hamilton, Jr., the twenty-third and final commanding officer, during the ceremony.

“Before I took command of this ship, I learned the definition of ‘enterprise’, which is ‘an especially daring and courageous undertaking driven by a bold and adventurous spirit.’ Fifty-one years ago, this ship was every bit of that definition.”

“Here we are 51 years later,” he continued, “celebrating the astonishing successes and accomplishments of this engineering marvel that has roamed the seas for more than half the history of Naval Aviation. Daring, courageous, bold, and adventurous indeed.”

In honor of that spirit, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, in a video message played at the ceremony, announced that the name Enterprise will live on as the officially passed the name to CVN-80, the third Ford class carrier and the ninth ship in the U.S. Navy to bear the name.

Commissioned on November 25, 1961, the eighth ship to bear the illustrious name Enterprise, the “Big E” was the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

A veteran of 25 deployments to the Mediterranean Sea, Pacific Ocean, and the Middle East, Enterprise has served in nearly every major conflict to take place during her history. From the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 to six deployments in support of the Vietnam conflict through the Cold War and the Gulf Wars, Enterprise was there. On September 11, 2001, Enterprise aborted her transit home from a long deployment after the terrorist attacks, and steamed overnight to the North Arabian Sea. Big ‘E’ once again took her place in history when she launched the first strikes in direct support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

More than 100,000 Sailors and Marines have served aboard Enterprise during its lifetime, which has included every major conflict since the Cuban Missile Crisis. It has been home ported in both Alameda, Calif., and Norfolk, Va., and has conducted operations in every region of the world.

For more information on USS Enterprise, her legendary history, and Inactivation Week, please visit Welcome to Navy Forces Online Public Sites.

For news from Enterprise’s final deployment, pictures of the Inactivation Ceremony, and video footage of the event, log onto Command Home Page.

Visit the ship’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/USS.Enterprise.CVN.65.