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Enterprise, Navy's First Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier, Inactivated

Published Dec 3, 2012 8:58 AM by The Maritime Executive

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.

Attendees observe the inactivation ceremony of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65). Enterprise was commissioned in 1961 and is scheduled to celebrate her inactivation, Dec. 1, after 51 years of service. (US Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Alex Forster/Released)

"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.

Capt. William C. Hamilton, commanding officer USS Enterprise (CVN 65) speaks during the ship's inactivation ceremony. Enterprise was commissioned in 1961 and is scheduled to celebrate her inactivation, Dec. 1, after 51 years of service. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brooks B. Patton/Released)

For more information on USS Enterprise, her legendary history, and Inactivation Week, please visit www.enterprise.navy.mil.

For news from Enterprise's final deployment, pictures of the Inactivation Ceremony, and video footage of the event, log onto www.navy.mil/local/cvn65.

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

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Navy’s Next Ford-Class Aircraft Carrier to be Named Enterprise

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced via video message at the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) inactivation ceremony that the third Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier will be named Enterprise.

Mabus selected this name to honor USS Enterprise (CVN 65), the Navy’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which was inactivated today in Norfolk, Va. Commissioned in 1961, CVN 65 served for more than five decades. It participated in the blockade of the Cuban Missile Crisis, launched strike operations in Vietnam, and conducted combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

“The USS Enterprise was the first of its kind, and for 51 years its name has been synonymous with boldness, readiness and an adventurous spirit,” said Mabus. “Rarely has our fleet been without a ship bearing the name.  I chose to maintain this tradition not solely because of the legacy it invokes, but because the remarkable work of the name Enterprise is not done.”

The future USS Enterprise, designated CVN 80, will be the ninth ship to bear the name. 

USS Enterprise and subsequent Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers will provide improved warfighting capability, quality of life improvements for Sailors and reduced life cycle costs.

The Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier will be 1,092 feet in length and have a beam of 134 feet.  The flight deck will be 256 feet wide, and the ship will be able to operate at speeds in excess of 34 knots. Enterprise will be built by Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va. 

Additional information about the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier is available online at http://ipv6.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=200&ct=4.