United States Ships named Enterprise
Enterprise I: A British supply
sloop captured by the
United States in
Canada and armed for use on Lake Champlain -- run aground and
burnt to avoid
capture by the British in
1777.
Enterprise II:
schooner purchased in
1776 for the Continental
Navy and sailed the
Chesapeake Bay to protect from the British -- records are hazy but indicate the ship was given to the
Maryland Council of Safety in
1777.
Enterprise III:
schooner built in
Baltimore,
Maryland in
1799. She fought in
miscellaneous battles in the
Caribbean, near Malta and along the East Coast --
stranded and
sunk (non-hostile) on Little Curacao Island in the
West Indies.
Enterprise IV:
schooner launched from the
New York Navy Yard in
1831 and sent to monitor US interests in
Brazil -- decommissioned and sold in
1884.
Enterprise V: a bark-rigged screw
sloop-of-war built in Kittery,
Maine in 1874, used primarily for
surveying operations at the mouth of the
Mississippi and up the
Amazon and
Madeira rivers. in
1882 it went around the world and came back with a
plethora of
information about the
oceans,
currents, and the sea floor. Used as a
training vessel at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland until it was sold in
1909.
Enterprise VI: a noncommissioned motor
boat built and used during
World War I.
Enterprise VII: launched in
1936 out of Newport News,
Virginia, this
aircraft carrier was used throughout the
Pacific Ocean during
World War II. The ship was heavily damaged,
suffering 3 direct hits and 4 near misses killing 74, wounding 95, and inflicting serious
damage on the carrier. despite this, she returned to
Hawaii on her own power and was overhauled at Pearl Harbor. -- decommissioned in
1947 and sold in
1958.
The Current Enterprise (Enterprise VIII)
The USS Enterprise is a
nuclear powered
aircraft carrier designated CVN65 belonging to the
United States Navy and based out of Norfolk,
Virginia. The Enterprise was the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier in the naval fleet, as well as being the
tallest, and
longest
warship ever built (
interestingly, it was larger by only 3/4 of an
inch). It was built by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company.
The USS Enterprise was
christened on Sept. 24
1960, and
commissioned in
1961. Her first use was in the
quarantine of
offensive military equipment under shipment to
Cuba in
1962.
In
1964, two more nuclear powered vessels (The USS Long Beach and the USS Bainbridge) joined the Enterprise as a
group called "Task Force One" and were sent on a
journey 30,565 miles around the
globe without stopping for re
fueling or
replenishment (Operation Sea Orbit). That October, Enterprise returned to Newport News for its first refueling and
overhaul.
Due to the rising
conflict in
Southeast Asia, the Enterprise was transferred to the Seventh Fleet (based in the
Pacific Ocean). The "Big E" was the first nuclear powered ship to
engage in
combat when it launched
aircraft on combat
missions against the Viet Cong on December 2,
1965. On its second day of combat use, the Enterprise set a
record of 165 strike sorties launched from the deck in a single day. The Enterprise made a total of 6 combat deployments during the
Vietnam conflict.
In
1973, the Enterprise was sent to Bremerton,
Washington to be refitted to support the F-14A Tomcat fighter plane and was the first carrier to deploy the new
high tech aircraft.
In
1975, the Enterprise was called back to Southeast Asia to aid in the evacuation of
Saigon.
It sailed to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in January
1979 for a 30-month comprehensive overhaul.
In
1986, the Enterprise became the first nuclear powered ship to pass through the
Suez Canal.
in
1988, in response to a request from
Philippine President Corazon Aquino for air
support from the US to help
quell an impending
rebellion and
coup, the Enterprise participated in "
Operation Classic Resolve".
in
1990, it was decided that the Enterprise was in need of a very
complex overhaul and the ship was put in dry-dock in Norfolk until September 27,
1994 when sea trials to the
Mediterranean Sea found the ship to be as
fast as when she was first built -- still the fastest
combatant in the world.
in
1996, the "Big E" was sent to
enforce no-
fly zones in
Bosnia (
Operation Joint Endeavor).
in
1997, the ship was sent back to Newport News for workups and in
1998 as a part of Carrier Air Wing 3(CVW 3) it relieved the USS Eisenhower in the Arabian Gulf on November 23.
On December 18,
1998, the Enterprise Battle Group initiated
Operation Desert Fox against
Iraq, dropping an astonishing 691,000 pounds of
ordnance and delivering more than 200 tomahawk
cruise missiles during the 70 hour operation. Upon the
success of Operation Desert Fox, the Enterprise moved into the
Adriatic Sea in
anticipation of combat missions in
Yugoslavia. The ship returned to home port in May of 1999, and is scheduled for it's next deployment in the
spring of
2001.
Commissioned: 1961
Operating budget: $50 million
Population of Sailors: Over 2,800
Population of Chiefs: Over 170
Population of Officers: Over 200
Population With the Air Wing: Over 5,000
Type of ship:
Nuclear powered
aircraft carrier
Horse power: More than 280,000
Maximum speed: 30+ knots (specific top speed is
classified)
Length: 1,123 feet
Breadth: 257 feet
Height (keel to mast): 250 feet
Anchors: 2 (30 tons each)
Propellers: 4
Rudders: 4 (35 tons each)
Reactors: 8 (
according to my brother, a former damage control officer on the USS Enterprise, one of the ships nuclear reactors has been offline since it's extensive overhaul in 1990 -- this is unconfirmed as i cannot find information to prove or disprove this)
Catapults: 4
Compartments: More than 3,500
Area of flight deck: 4.47 acres