USS Enterprise (CVN-65)

**USS *Enterprise* (CVN-65)**, formerly (**CVAN)-65**, is an inactive United States Navy aircraft carrier. She was the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the eighth United States naval vessel to bear the name. Like her predecessor of World War II fame, she is nicknamed "Big E". At 1,123 ft (342 m), she is the longest naval vessel ever built. Her 93,284-long-ton (94,781 tonnes) displacement ranked her as the 12th-heaviest super carrier, after the 10 carriers of the *Nimitz* class and the USS *Gerald R. Ford*. *Enterprise* had a crew of some 4,600 service members.

The only ship of her class, *Enterprise* was, at the time of inactivation, the third-oldest commissioned vessel in the United States Navy after the wooden-hulled USS *Constitution* and USS *Pueblo*. She was originally scheduled for decommissioning in 2014 or 2015,
depending on the life of her reactors and completion of her replacement, USS *Gerald R. Ford*, but the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 slated the ship's retirement for 2013, when she would have served for 51 consecutive years, longer than any other U.S. aircraft carrier. *Enterprise'*s home port was Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia as of September 2012. Her original home port was Naval Air Station Alameda until its closure in 1997. When in port at NAS Alameda, she was visible to those crossing the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. She was the flagship of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz while he lived in Berkeley, California until his death in 1966. Her final deployment, the last before her inactivation, began on 10 March 2012 and ended 4 November 2012. She was inactivated on 1 December 2012,
with her official decommissioning taking place sometime in 2016 after the completion of an extensive terminal offload program currently underway. The name has been adopted by the future *Gerald R. Ford*-class aircraft carrier USS *Enterprise* (CVN-80).

As of 2016, *Enterprise* is still a commissioned United States Navy ship, but is inactive. She has undergone enough of the four-year-long inactivation process to render her unfit for further military service. Inactivation removes fuel, fluids, furnishings, tools, fittings and De-energizes the ship's electrical system. *Enterprise* has already been cut open to allow the removal of usable systems.

## Design

Enterprise (yellow) compared to large ships and buildings:

The Pentagon, 1,414 feet, 431 m

RMS *Queen Mary 2*, 1,132 feet, 345 m

USS *Enterprise*, 1,123 feet, 342 m

Hindenburg, 804 feet, 245 m

*Yamato*, 863 feet, 263 m

Empire State Building, 1,454 feet, 443 m

*Knock Nevis*, ex-*Sea wise Giant*, 1,503 feet, 458 m

*Enterprise* in 1967, showing the ship's SCANFAR antennas

*Enterprise* was meant to be the first of a class of six carriers, but construction costs ballooned and the remaining vessels
were never laid down. Because of the huge cost of her construction, *Enterprise* was launched and commissioned without the planned RIM-2 Terrier missile launchers. These were never installed and the ship's self-defense suite instead consisted of three shorter-range RIM-7 Sea Sparrow, Basic Point Defense Missile System (BPDMS) launchers.

Later upgrades added two NATO Sea Sparrow (NSSM) and three Mk 15 Phalanx CIWS gun mounts. One CIWS mount was later removed and two 21-cell RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile launchers were added.[25][26]

*Enterprise* is also the only aircraft carrier to house more than two nuclear reactors,[4] having an eight-reactor propulsion design, with each A2W reactor taking the place of one of the conventional boilers in earlier constructions.[27] She is the only carrier with four rudders, two more than other classes, and features a more cruiser-like hull.[28]

*Enterprise* also had a phased array radar system known as SCANFAR.
 SCANFAR 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 by Hughes for the US
Navy. The AN/SPS-32 operated together with the AN/SPS-33, which was the
square array used for 3D tracking, into one system. It was installed on
only two vessels, *Enterprise* and the cruiser USS *Long Beach*, placing a massive power drain on the ship's electric system.

The technology of the AN/SPS-32 was based on vacuum 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-size targets.[29] These early phased arrays, replaced around 1980, were responsible for the distinctive square-looking island.[9]

The AN/SPS-32 and AN/SPS-33 radars, while ahead of their time,
suffered from issues relating to 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, it would take the later
technology of the Aegis phased array AN/SPY-1 with its electronically
controlled beam steering to make phased array radars both reliable and
practical for the USN.[*citation needed*]

## History

*Enterprise* is christened at Newport News shipyard in 1960.

### Commissioning and trials

In 1958, *Enterprise*'s keel was laid at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. On 24 September 1960, the ship was launched, sponsored by Mrs. W. B. Franke, wife of the former Secretary of the Navy. On 25 November 1961, *Enterprise* was commissioned, with Captain Vincent P. de Poix, formerly of Fighting Squadron 6 on her predecessor,[30]
 in command. On 12 January 1962, the ship made her maiden voyage
conducting a three-month shakedown cruise and a lengthy series of tests
and training exercises designed to determine the full capabilities of
the nuclear powered super carrier.

### 1960s

On 20 February 1962, *Enterprise* was a tracking and measuring station for the flight of *Friendship 7*, the Project Mercury space capsule in which Lieutenant Colonel John H. Glenn, Jr. made the first American orbital spaceflight. In August, the carrier joined the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, returning to Norfolk, Virginia in October.[*citation needed*]

#### 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis

Main article: Cuban Missile Crisis

Sea Vixens of 893 NAS operating from *Enterprise* in 1962.

In October 1962, *Enterprise* was dispatched to her first international crisis. Following revelations that the Soviet Union was constructing nuclear missile launch sites on Cuba, President John F. Kennedy ordered the United States Department of Defense to conduct a large-scale buildup. Among the preparations, the U.S. Atlantic 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 the Soviets dismantle the missile sites there. Five United States Second Fleet carriers participated in the blockade—*Enterprise* (as part of Task Force 135), *Independence*, *Essex*, *Lake Champlain*, and *Randolph*,
 backed by shore-based aircraft. By 28 October, the crisis was averted,
after the United States secretly agreed to remove nuclear missiles from
Italy and Turkey.

#### Second and third deployments

Task Force 1, the world's first nuclear-powered task force. *Enterprise*, *Long Beach* and *Bainbridge* in formation in the Mediterranean, 18 June 1964. *Enterprise* has Einstein's mass–energy equivalence formula *E*=*mc*² spelled out on its flight deck. Note the distinctive phased array radars in the superstructures of *Enterprise* and *Long Beach*.

On 19 December 1962, a Grumman E-2 Hawkeye was catapulted off *Enterprise* in the first shipboard test of a nose-wheel launch bar designed to replace the catapult bridle.[31] Minutes later, a second launch with a launch bar was made by a Grumman A-6A Intruder, demonstrating one of the primary design goals of reducing launch intervals.[32]

In 1963–1964, *Enterprise* made her second and third deployments to the Mediterranean. During her third deployment, the carrier was part of Operation Sea Orbit, the world's first nuclear-powered task force with the cruisers *Long Beach* and *Bainbridge*, together forming a convoy to sail around the world. On 25 February 1964, a crewman of the Finnish merchant ship *Verna Paulin* was injured in a fall while the ship was in the vicinity of Souda Bay, Greece. *Enterprise* answered her call for assistance. A surgeon was transferred to *Verna Paulin* by helicopter.[33] In October 1964, *Enterprise* returned to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company for her first Refueling and Overhaul.

#### Vietnam deployments

In November 1965, the *Big E* was transferred to the Seventh Fleet, home-ported at NAS Alameda,
 California. The following month, on 2 December, she became the first
nuclear-powered ship to engage in combat when she launched aircraft
against the Viet Cong near Biên Hòa City. The ship led Carrier Division Three, with *Enterprise* (redesignated **CVAN-65**), which had Carrier Air Wing Nine aboard, *Bainbridge*; *Barry*; and *Samuel B. Roberts*. *Enterprise* launched 125 sorties
 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.[*citation needed*]

In January 1966, the aircraft carrier was continuing operations as a unit of Task Force 77 in the Gulf of Tonkin, as the flagship of Rear Admiral Henry L. Miller, Commander Carrier Division Three.[34] Under the command of Captain James L. Holloway III,
 she was carrying a complement of approximately 350 officers and 4,800
men. Four West coast squadrons of Carrier Air Wing Nine, commanded by
Commander F. T. Brown, were embarked; Fighter Squadron 92, under Commander E. A. Rawsthorne, and Fighter Squadron 96, under Commander R. D. Norman, flying F-4B Phantom IIs; Attack Squadron 93 under Commander A. J. Monger, and Attack Squadron 94, under Commander O. E. Krueger, flying A-4C Skyhawks. With these squadrons were three others based on the East Coast; Attack Squadron 36, under Commander J. E. Marshall, Attack Squadron 76, under Commander J. B. Linder, flying A-4C Skyhawks; and Reconnaissance Attack Squadron 7, under Commander K. Enny, flying RA-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 the flight 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.

The ship tied up at Leyte Pier, U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay, on the evening of 8 December 1966.[34] Loading of supplies for the first line period was started immediately. Rear Admiral Walter L Curtis, Jr, Commander Carrier Division Nine, broke his flag aboard. In company with *Manley*, *Gridley* and *Bainbridge*, *Enterprise* sailed for Yankee Station on 15 December, and took up her position there three days later.

When *Enterprise* 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

Sailors aboard *Enterprise* battle a huge ordnance fire triggered by a Zuni rocket. 14 January 1969

At Alameda, *Enterprise* began an overhaul. Captain Kent L. 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 reembark Carrier Air Wing
Nine and get underway for refresher training off the California coast.

*Enterprise* was visiting Sasebo, Japan in January 1968 when the US intelligence ship USS *Pueblo* (AGER-2)
 was seized by North Korea, and she served as flagship of TF 71 (Rear
Admiral Epes), which had been formed in response. 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 Alemeda to prepare for another deployment to
Vietnam.

### 1969 fire

Sailors from the destroyer *Rogers* use their on board hoses to assist with the firefighting efforts aboard *Enterprise*.

During the morning of 14 January 1969, while being escorted by the destroyers *Benjamin Stoddert* and *Rogers*, a MK-32 Zuni rocket loaded on a parked F-4 Phantom exploded when ordnance cooked off after being overheated by an aircraft start unit.[35] The explosion set off fires and additional explosions across the flight deck.

The fires were brought under control relatively quickly (when
compared with previous carrier flight deck fires), but 27 hands were
lost and an additional 314 sailors were injured. The fire destroyed 15
aircraft, and the resulting damage forced *Enterprise* to put in for repairs at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Hawaii, primarily to repair the flight deck's armored plating.[36]
 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.

View of *Enterprise*'s stern during the fire, January 1969

### Korean operations

In January 1968, the capture of the United States intelligence gathering vessel *Pueblo* by a North Korean patrol boat led to a diplomatic crisis. *Enterprise* was ordered to operate near South Korean waters for almost a month.

On 14 April 1969, tensions with North Korea flared again as a North Korean aircraft shot down a Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star that was on a reconnaissance patrol over the eastern Sea of Japan from its base at Atsugi,
 Japan. The entire 31-man crew was killed. The US responded by
activating Task Force 71 (TF 71) to protect future such flights over
those international waters. Initially, the Task Force was to comprise *Enterprise*, *Ticonderoga*, *Ranger*, and *Hornet* 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 all, *Enterprise* made six combat deployments to Southeast Asia from 1965 to 1975.

### 1970s

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. *Enterprise* then left for Vietnam, again to provide air support for American and South Vietnamese units.

#### Southeast Asia

*Enterprise* during an underway replenishment with the fleet oiler *Hassayampa* in the South China Sea in 1973.

In Vietnam, *Enterprise*, *Oriskany* and *Midway*
 launched a total of 2,001 strike sorties by 30 July 1971. Strike
operations in July were disrupted when the carriers on station evaded
three typhoons: Harriet, Kim and Jean. A slight increase in South 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 on Yankee Station.

In December 1971 during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, *Enterprise* was deployed to the Bay of Bengal as a show of strength against India's naval blockade by INS *Vikrant*. India tactically used INS *Vikrant* and Indian Airbase at Andaman & Nikobar Islands to deter USS Enterprise. Later a Soviet Navy
 submarine was also trailing the U.S. task force. A confrontation was
averted when the Americans moved towards South East Asia, away from the
Indian Ocean.[37]

In October 1972, the U.S. ended tactical air sorties into North Vietnam above the 20th parallel and brought Linebacker I operations to a close, a gesture designed to promote peace negotiations being held in Paris. *Enterprise*
 and the other carriers had flown a total of 23,652 tactical air attack
sorties into North Vietnam from May–October and U.S. tactical air
sorties during Linebacker I operations helped to stem the flow of
supplies into North Vietnam, thereby limiting the operating capabilities
 of the North Vietnamese Army.[*citation needed*]

From October to December, *Enterprise* alternated with other carriers on Yankee Station during the bombing halt and remained on station. As a result of the bombing halt above the 20th parallel in North Vietnam, no MiG kills or U.S. aircraft losses were recorded during this time.[*citation needed*]

On 18 December 1972, the United States resumed bombing campaigns above the 20th parallel under the name Linebacker II. During Linebacker II operations, *Enterprise* and other carriers on station reseeded the mine fields in Haiphong
 harbor and conducted concentrated strikes against surface-to-air
missile and anti-aircraft 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.

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.

From 28 January 1973, aircraft from *Enterprise* and *Ranger* flew 81 combat sorties against lines-of-communication targets in Laos. The corridor for overflights was between Huế and Da 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 cease-fire in Vietnam.

#### Post-Vietnam

After the cease-fire in Vietnam in 1973, *Enterprise* proceeded to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington, where the carrier was altered and refitted to support the Navy's newest fighter aircraft – the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. Two of four jet 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 discarded arresting gear cable.

On 18 March 1974, the first operational Tomcats of VF-1 Wolfpack and VF-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.

In February 1975, Typhoon Gervaise struck the island nation of Mauritius, and *Enterprise* was ordered to provide disaster relief. Arriving at Port Louis, carrier personnel spent more than 10,000 man-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.

#### Operation Frequent Wind

*Enterprise* en route back to the United States following the evacuation of Saigon; the forward end of the flight deck contains a number of USMC CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters.

In April 1975, *Enterprise*, *Midway*, *Coral Sea*, *Hancock*, and *Okinawa* were deployed to waters off Vietnam for possible evacuation contingencies as North Vietnam, in violation of the Paris 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 from Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam under heavy attack from the invading forces of North Vietnam.

President Gerald Ford ordered helicopter evacuation when PAVN shelling forced the cessation of fixed-wing evacuation from Tan Son Nhut Airport. With fighter cover provided by carrier aircraft, the helicopters landed at the US Embassy, Saigon and the DAO Compound
 to pick up evacuees. The last helicopter lifted off the roof of the
United States Embassy at 7:53 a.m., local time, on 30 April 1975
carrying the last 11 Marine Security Guards. During Operation Frequent Wind, aircraft from *Enterprise* flew 95 sorties.

#### Eighth and ninth deployments

In July 1976, *Enterprise* began her eighth Western Pacific deployment.

One of the ports visited was Hobart, 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 the
Enterprise for its label was just one of the commemorations received by
the renowned nuclear carrier.

In February 1977, Idi Amin, the President of Uganda,
 made derogatory remarks against the United States in public and
Americans in Uganda were taken hostage. This was several months after
the Israeli raid at Entebbe airport. *Enterprise* and her escort ships were scheduled to transit home after a seven-month deployment, but having just left Mombasa
 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 at NAS Cubi Point in the Philippines before returning to NAS Alameda.

In 1978, *Enterprise* underwent her ninth Western Pacific
deployment, including port calls in Hong Kong, Perth, Australia, and
Singapore. In January 1979, the carrier sailed into Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for a comprehensive 36-month overhaul. 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 to *Enterprise* as *Building 65.*

### 1980s

*Enterprise* in 1982 following her major 36-month refit

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.[38] Coincidentally, George Takei, who played Mr. Sulu, helmsman of the fictional starship *Enterprise*, was aboard at the time as a Distinguished Visitor of the Navy.[39] Even though groundings and collisions are usually career-enders 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 and commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific
Fleet.[40]

*Enterprise* (right) operating with *Coral Sea* (top left) and *Midway* (bottom left) off Alaska during the FLEETEX 83 exercise.

In 1984, the Enterprise began training for her 11th WESTPAC
deployment. Late at night on 2 November 1985 with Captain Robert
Leuschner on the bridge,[*citation needed*] she struck Bishop Rock on the Cortes Bank
 during flight exercises, damaging the outer hull with a gash more than
100 feet in length and knocking out of one propeller 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.[41]

In 1986, the carrier made her 12th WESTPAC deployment, leaving on 15 January 1986. She led Battle Group FOXTROT, including *Truxtun*, *Arkansas*, *O'Brien*, *Reasoner*, *Lewis B. Puller*, *McClusky*, *David R. Ray* and *Wabash*. The Battle Group sailed directly for the Indian Ocean, with stops in Hawaii, Subic Bay, and Singapore.[42] On 28 April 1986, *Enterprise* became the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to transit the Suez Canal. She went from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean to relieve *Coral Sea*, on station with *America* off the coast of Libya. *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 Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Group 3 by Rear Admiral Paul David Miller.[43]

An F/A-18A Hornet lands on *Enterprise* in 1987.

In February 1988, *Enterprise* underwent her 13th deployment and was assigned to Operation Earnest Will, escorting reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. On 14 April, another Earnest Will ship, *Samuel B. Roberts*, struck an Iranian mine in international waters. In response, the U.S. launched Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian targets, starting with two Iranian oil platforms that were being used as support bases for Iranian attacks on merchant shipping. Aircraft from *Enterprise*'s CVW-11 bombed two Iranian frigates, helping to sink one and damaged the other, and provided other air support for the strike.[44]

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 of Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. In early December 1989, *Enterprise* and *Midway* participated in Operation Classic Resolve, President George H. W. 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 until the situation subsided.

### 1990s

In April 1990, *Enterprise* completed her around-the-world deployment, arriving in Norfolk, 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 largest complex overhaul refit ever attempted. On 27 September 1994, *Enterprise* returned to sea for sea trials, during which she performed an extended full power run as fast as when she was new.

On 28 June 1996, *Enterprise* began her 15th overseas deployment. The carrier enforced no-fly zones in Bosnia as part of Operation Joint Endeavor and over Iraq as part of Operation Southern Watch. The deployment ended in December 1996, which also marked the end of active service for the Grumman A-6 Intruder from the Navy. In February 1997, *Enterprise* entered Newport News Shipbuilding for an extended selective restrictive availability lasting four-and-a-half months.

*Enterprise* patrols the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Fox

In November 1998, following workups, *Enterprise* departed on her 16th overseas deployment, with CVW-3 embarked. On the night of 8 November, shortly after the start of the deployment, a Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler crashed into a Lockheed S-3 Viking on the carrier's flight deck. The mishap occurred as the EA-6B was landing during night carrier qualifications, striking the folded wings of the S-3, which had not yet cleared the landing area of the flight deck.

The four crew of the EA-6B perished when the aircraft hit the water, but the two crew members of the S-3 ejected.
 A fire broke out on the flight deck, but was quickly extinguished by
the flight deck crew. 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 the Naval 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.

On 23 November 1998, *Enterprise* relieved *Dwight D. Eisenhower* in the Persian Gulf.

President Bush visits Enterprise 5 December 1998

Hootie and the Blowfish play for Enterprise crew 5 December 1998

During a port call in Jebel Ali, UAE, the carrier hosted former President George H. W. Bush and enjoyed a live concert by Grammy Award-winning rock group Hootie & the Blowfish.

In December 1998, *Enterprise* battlegroup spearheaded Operation Desert Fox, destroying Iraqi military targets with more than 300 Tomahawk land attack missiles and 691,000 lb (346 short tons; 313 t) of ordnance. The 70-hour assault was carried out by *Enterprise*, *Gettysburg*, *Stout*, *Nicholson* and *Miami*.

Shortly after the Račak massacre and failure of Yugoslavian peace talks in Rambouillet, France, *Enterprise* quickly left a port visit in Cannes, France to return to the Adriatic.

In early March 1999, *Enterprise* returned to the Persian Gulf to relieve *Carl Vinson* in support of Operation Southern Watch, returning to Norfolk in May 1999.

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 with IT-21, which allowed unprecedented internal and external communication capabilities, including Internet, email, and television.

### 2000s

*Enterprise*, the world's first nuclear-powered carrier (left) with what was then the newest: French carrier *Charles de Gaulle*, 16 May 2001

On 25 April 2001, *Enterprise* began her 17th overseas deployment with CVW-8. From 18–28 June, the carrier and four escorts participated in an exercise with the Royal Navy in a joint and combined warfare training exercise in the North Sea, near the Hebrides and in Scotland.

*Enterprise* was beginning her voyage home from the Persian Gulf when the September 11 attacks were carried out. Without orders, the carrier returned to the waters off Southwest Asia near the Persian Gulf, outrunning her escorts.[*citation needed*] In October 2001, the United States launched air attacks against Al-Qaeda training camps and Taliban military installations in Afghanistan.
 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.

Over three weeks, aircraft from *Enterprise* flew nearly 700 missions and dropped over 800,000 lb (400 short tons; 360 t) of ordnance over Afghanistan.[45] On 10 November, the carrier arrived at her home port of Norfolk, Virginia, 16 days later than originally planned. During her last day at sea, the ship hosted a live two-hour broadcast of ABC's *Good Morning America*. Garth Brooks performed a concert with Jewel from *Enterprise* on 21 November while she was docked in Norfolk, Virginia. The concert was carried live on CBS. On Pearl Harbor Day (7 December 2001), President George W. Bush addressed the sailors of *Enterprise* from its flight deck.[46]

In January 2002, *Enterprise* entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia for a scheduled one-year Extended Dry Docking Selected Restricted Availability.

#### Iraq War

##### Operation Iraqi Freedom

Members assigned to USS *Enterprise* Damage Control Team test their
 fire-fighting agent prior to entering the simulator round of the Damage
 Control Olympics during Fleet Week 2004.

From September 2003 to February 2004, the ship deployed to relieve the four carriers that were on station during the invasion of Iraq.
 Enterprise's role was to provide continued air support for Operation
Iraqi Freedom. This also was the last deployment for the F-14 Tomcat.
The fully repaired *Cole* was a member of her escort group at this time. A USO tour was held aboard while at sea, with WWE superstar Kurt Angle, NASCAR racer Mike Wallace, and comedian Robin Williams giving talks and performances. The ship made several port-calls to Jebel Ali, a stop in Bahrain (during which actor Ben Affleck
 visited the ship), and Naples, Italy and Cartegna, Spain on the way
home. Admiral James Stavridis commanded the battle group at this time
with Captain Eric Neidlinger as *Enterprise*'s commanding officer.

In April 2004, *Enterprise* participated in the Fleet Week celebration in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. *Enterprise*'s Damage Control team won the Damage Control Olympics at that event, setting several records in the process.[47]
 In June and July 2004, the ship participated in Summer Surge 2004 and
several multinational exercises. She participated in photo ops of a
multinational battle group and was anchored at Portsmouth, England on 4
July.

USS *Enterprise* (CVN 65) Sailors of the Year appeared on the set of the Paramount Television series *Enterprise*
 to present the cast and crew with an American flag in 2003. The flag
was flown in their honor as gratitude for the support the cast, and crew
 of the TV series have given the Sailors of the carrier.

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 shutdown, 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 approximately three days for the ship's nuclear
machinists to clear her condensers of river mud.

In May 2006, *Enterprise* departed for a six-month deployment, operating in the 6th, 5th and 7th Fleet areas in a world-tour, supporting Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, and visiting ports in Dubai, Hong Kong, and crossing the line. She returned to Norfolk 18 November 2006.

On 19 December 2007, the carrier returned home after a six-month deployment in the Persian Gulf.[48]

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, Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, stated that he was seeking a congressional dispensation to speed up the process to decommission *Enterprise*.
 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 U.S. Navy to having only ten active aircraft
carriers through the launch of the *Gerald R. Ford*
 in 2015. In October 2009, the House and Senate Armed Services
Committees agreed with the recommendation, approving the decommissioning
 of *Enterprise* in 2013 after 51 years of service.[13]

### 2010s

*Enterprise* meets with *Dwight D. Eisenhower* in the Atlantic in July 2011; *Enterprise* is returning to Norfolk at the end of her six-month cruise to the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf, while *Eisenhower* is working up following a six-month maintenance period.

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.[49] On 19 April 2010, *Enterprise* left the Northrop Grumman shipyard to conduct sea trials in preparation for return to the fleet.[50]
 The total cost of refurbishing the carrier was $662 million, which was
46% over budget. Also, it 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.[51]

On 1 January 2011, the Virginian-Pilot leaked highlights from the
final video of a set entitled "XO Movie Night" that was filmed on *Enterprise*
 and aired via closed circuit television on select Saturday evenings.
The videos, which were not meant for release outside the command, were
produced by Captain Owen 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.[52][53]

Captain Honors received public support from Navy personnel,[54]
 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. Captain Dee Mewbourne was appointed as
replacement commander.[55] Forty officers and enlisted sailors, including six flag officers, were later disciplined to varying extents over the incident.[56]

The carrier and her strike group deployed on 13 January 2011.
Accompanying the carrier on the cruise to the Persian Gulf and
Mediterranean were Carrier Air Wing One, guided missile cruiser *Leyte Gulf*, and guided missile destroyers *Barry*, *Bulkeley*, and *Mason*.[57] In February 2011, *Enterprise* was involved in an incident with Somali pirates, an event that ended in the deaths of four American citizens and two pirates.[58]

The carrier returned to Norfolk on 15 July 2011. During its
deployment, it had participated in operations that captured 75 Somali
pirates and its strike group made missile strikes against the Libyan
government.[59]

*Enterprise* enters Norfolk for the final time on 4 November 2012.

On 17 August 2011, Captain William C. Hamilton, Jr. relieved Capt. Dee L. Mewbourne as Enterprise's commanding officer .[60] Captain William C. Hamilton, Jr. will be the ship's last commanding officer.

On 9 April 2012, the Navy announced that *Enterprise* and her group, Carrier Strike Group Twelve, would be assigned to join *Abraham Lincoln*
 in the Persian Gulf. The mission was described as routine, not a
response to a specific threat. Upon completion of this mission in fall
2012, *Enterprise* was scheduled to be deactivated.[61]

In October 2012, *Enterprise* transited the Suez Canal for the final time.[62] She paid her last foreign port call when she visited Naples, Italy, between 16–21 October, which had been the Big E's first foreign port-of-call fifty years earlier.[63][64]

On 4 November 2012, *Enterprise* returned to her homeport at
Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, for the last time. While on her last
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.[65]

#### Decommissioning

USS Enterprise on 1 December 2012

*Enterprise* was inactivated on 1 December 2012 at Norfolk Naval Station, Virginia. The deactivation of *Enterprise*
 resulted in a one-time increase of approximately $857.3 million in
depot maintenance costs for the U.S. Navy's operation and maintenance
budget for Fiscal Year 2013.[66]

Having been de-masted, *Enterprise* is towed from Norfolk to Newport News in 2013 for the process of de-fueling, prior to the ship being broken up.

*Enterprise* will be the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be decommissioned.[67] Naval enthusiasts have requested that *Enterprise* be converted into a museum.[68][69] While the costs of doing so regarding her nuclear reactors has yet to be calculated by the United States Department of Defense,
 by 2012 they had been deemed too expensive to make such an effort
practical, in addition to the fact that the ship will need to be
partially dismantled anyway to remove the eight reactors safely.[17] A petition had also been set up for the next carrier (CVN-80) to be named as the ninth USS *Enterprise*.[70] At her inactivation ceremony, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced in his taped message that the next Ford-class carrier, CVN-80 would indeed be named "Enterprise".[71]

Speaking at the ceremony was Chaplain John Owen, Captain William C.
Hamilton, Jr. (CO), Vice Admiral David H. Buss (Commander, Naval Air
Force Pacific), Admiral John Richardson (Director, Naval Reactors), Matt
 Mulherin (President, Newport News Shipbuilding), ADM Jonathan W.
Greenert (Chief of Naval Operations), a video speech from Ray Mabus, and
 the Master of Ceremonies was the ship's Executive Officer. SECNAV had
to deliver his speech via taped video as he was in China at the time.
VIPs present for the ceremony included several former Commanding
Officers, a granddaughter of the ship's sponsor, and a former A-6
 pilot who had been captured in North Vietnam returning to the ship for
the first time that day since he launched. He received a standing
ovation at his introduction. Actor William Shatner was scheduled to appear, but canceled.

During the ceremony, the representative of the ship's sponsor
received a flag flown from the ship during its last underway and a piece
 of wooden railing leading to the CO's inport cabin. Also the CNO was
presented with a time capsule produced by ship's crew with artifacts and
 pieces of the ship. *Enterprise* crew and visitors were encouraged
 to add the items or messages the week before inactivation. While
presenting the capsule, Commanding Officer William C. "Boomer" Hamilton
informed the CNO that the only stipulation would be that the capsule
could only be opened by the crew of the next ship to be named *Enterprise*. When it was announced shortly after that CVN-80 would be the 9th Navy vessel to carry the name "*Enterprise*", the entire crowd cheered and gave a standing ovation.

*Enterprise* at Newport News in December 2014

On 8 February 2013, the United States Department of Defense announced that a number of nuclear projects would have to be postponed until the upcoming budget sequestration issue was resolved. These include the planned de-fuelling of *Enterprise* as well as mid-life overhauls (including nuclear refuelling) for two *Nimitz*-class ships.[72] The contract for defueling *Enterprise* was eventually awarded to Huntington Ingalls Industries in June 2013.[73]

Newport News Shipbuilding will deactivate and de-fuel the ship, which will then be formally decommissioned once all nuclear fuel has been removed.[74]
 The process started at the downtown piers in Newport News in order to
set the conditions required in the propulsion plant for fuel removal.
Huntington Ingalls Industries moved the ship on Saturday, 4 May 2015
from Pier 2 to her original birthplace, Dry Dock 11. Newport News
employees will continue the defueling process in the dry dock.

*Enterprise* approaches Drydock 11 on 4 May 2015

*Enterprise* ready to set down on the blocks in Drydock 11; 4 May 2015

Once the Navy completes fuel removal, the ship will be prepared for
open ocean tow to Bremerton, Washington. There, the remaining parts of
the ship that are associated with the reactor plant (reactor
compartments and associated piping) will be removed and shipped to
Hanford site for disposal. The final pieces of the hull are scheduled to
 be scrapped by 2025. It remains possible the ship's island could be
removed and used as a memorial.[68] As of June 2013,
 the ship has had all antennas, radars (including the main-mast on top
of the island), weapons launchers, anchors, and other miscellaneous
items removed from her exterior. Additionally, the inside of the ship
has been removed of much gear that can be reused on other ships. All
spaces outside of the propulsion block and some office space in the
hangar bay have been locked and secured. Certain hatchways and
passageways have been welded shut.

In October 2014, Newport News Shipbuilding announced that one of *Enterprise*'s anchors, removed from the ship during breaking up, had been transferred to the *Nimitz*-class *Abraham Lincoln* during her RCOH.[75]