A Brief History
On September 24, 1960, the naval world entered a new phase in history when the nuclear powered aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise (CVN- 65) was first launched. The first aircraft carrier with nuclear power, the Big E sported 8 nuclear reactors heating steam in 4 turbine engines, putting out an astounding 280,000 horsepower.
Digging Deeper
The Enterprise had speed as all carriers must to facilitate aircraft launching and quickly getting to where they are needed, but the most remarkable feature of those mighty atomic engines was the fact that the ship could travel non-stop for 20 to 25 years without refueling. The nearly 95,000 ton ship stretched almost 4 football fields long and 257.2 feet wide at the flight deck. It takes a lot of sailors to run a ship this big, and among the 5800+ complement were 400 officers, of which 250 were pilots.
With self protection coming by way of 2 X Sea Sparrow anit-aircraft missile launchers, 2 X Vulcan Phalanx 20mm Gatling guns, and 2 RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile) launchers, the big ship could take care of herself, especially with the advanced and continuously updated electronic warfare suite.
The big stick carried by the carrier, the 8th US Navy ship to bear the name, is of course its air wing. Capable of carrying an assortment of fixed wing, rotary wing, jet and propeller powered aircraft, the Enterprise would normally carry a dozen or two under her maximum. Carrying a variety of aircraft over the years, the main fighter planes have been the F-4 Phantom II, superseded by the F-14 Tomcat, and then by the multi-purpose F/A-18 Hornet. Anti-submarine and rescue helicopters, anti-submarine fixed wing planes, fighter bombers, interceptors, attack aircraft (A-1, A-3, A-4, A-5, A-6, A-7), reconnaissance versions of fighters and attack planes and electronic warfare planes (such as the EA-6) can be added or subtracted to fit the anticipated need, even aerial tanker aircraft (KA-6D). Of course, these planes were capable of delivering nuclear weapons, precision guided weapons, and regular unguided bombs, as well as torpedoes and mines.
The Enterprise was the pride of the Navy and a ship that got attention wherever she went. The famous Star Trek star ship was given that name largely as an homage to this ship, and the first Space Shuttle (non-space traveling test bed) was also named Enterprise. Appearing anywhere in the world and ready for action, the Big E participated in almost all military naval actions that she possibly could have, from Vietnam to The Cuban Missile Crisis to the Middle East and everywhere in between, with numerous cultural references to boot.
Decommissioned in 2013 after 51 years of service and having traveled over 81,000 miles, the process of removing the reactors and scrapping the ship will not be complete until about 2025! And of course, the process is not cheap, either, with $857.3 million (almost double her original price) budgeted for 2013 alone. Her predecessor of World War II fame, CV-6, was one of the most famous American ships of that war, and it has been announced that her successor will also be named Enterprise (CVN-80).
Question for students (and subscribers): Is the enormous expense of nuclear aircraft carriers worth the cost? How many should we have, if any? Tell us what you think in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
McKay, Dr David. USS Enterprise CVN-65. Willsonscott, 2013.
The featured image in this article, an Official U.S. Navy photograph from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command of the christening of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVAN-65) at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newport News, Virginia (USA) on Saturday, 24 September 1960, is a work of a sailor or employee of the U.S. Navy, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, it is in the public domain in the United States.
