The USS Enterprise (CVN-65) was the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the eighth U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name. As of 2006, the ship is homeported at Norfolk, Virginia, and scheduled for retirement in 2013. Her intended replacement is the as-yet-to-be-named CVN-21 class supercarrier CVN-78.
Enterprise was originally designated as CVA(N)-65 - the 'N' standing for nuclear, but later was changed to its current designation.
Like her predecessor of World War II fame, she is nicknamed the "Big E" and her name is well known throughout the world. At 1,123 feet (342 m), she remains the world's longest aircraft carrier, though her 89,600 tons are surpassed by the Nimitz class. She is also the only aircraft carrier to house more than two nuclear reactors. Enterprise
Enterprise was intended to be the first of a class of six, but construction costs ballooned and the remaining vessels were never laid down resulting in her being the only ship of her class. CV-66 was ordered as a conventional Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier. CVN-67, with a new reactor design, was reordered during construction as the conventionally-powered John F. Kennedy. Series production of nuclear carriers finally commenced with USS Nimitz (CVN-68), the first of 10 Nimitz supercarriers. Because of her expense, Enterprise was launched without weapon systems (she was originally intended to receive two twin Terrier missile launchers); she was later refit with three Vulcan mounts and two NATO Sea Sparrow Missile (NSSM) launchers. In the 2000s her armament was refit again, giving up one Vulcan mount and gaining two RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile launchers.
In all, Enterprise made six combat deployments to Southeast Asia from 1965 to 1972.
As of 2006, Enterprise is slated to remain in service until the first CVNX/CVN-21 carrier, CVN-78, enters the fleet in 2015. The subsequent fate of the Enterprise is, as of yet, unknown. One possiblity is that the CVN-65 may end up as an aircraft-carrier museum ship, owing to the fact that Enterprise was the worlds first nuclear powered aircraft carrier. It is also possible that she could end up in the Ship-Submarine recycling program, in which case Enterprise would become the first nuclear powered carrier to be dismantled as part of the program.
Unique aircraft carriers | Ships named Enterprise | United States Navy aircraft carriers | United States Navy nuclear ships | Cold War aircraft carriers of the United States | Vietnam War aircraft carriers of the United States | Modern aircraft carriers of the United States
USS Enterprise (CVN-65) | USS Enterprise (CVN-65) | エンタープライズ (CVN-65) | USS Enterprise (lotniskowiec 1961) | USS Enterprise (CVN-65) | 企業號航空母艦 (CVN-65)
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the
"USS Enterprise (CVN-65)".
Home Page • arts • business • computers • games • health • hospitals • home • kids & teens • news • physicians • recreation• reference • regional • science • shopping • society • sports • world