USS Enterprise (CVN-65)

USS Enterprise (CVN-65), formerly CVA(N)-65, is a decommissioned United States Navy aircraft carrier. In 1958, she was the 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 feet (342 m), she is the longest naval vessel ever built and the only ship of a class that was originally planned to have five other ships. Her 93,284-long-ton (94,781 t) displacement ranks her class as the third largest carrier class, after the Nimitz class and the Gerald R. Ford class. Enterprise had a crew of some 4,600 service members.

USS Enterprise (CVN-65)
USS Enterprise underway in the Atlantic Ocean
Class overview
NameEnterprise-class aircraft carrier
BuildersNewport News Shipbuilding
Operators United States Navy
Preceded byKitty Hawk class
Succeeded byNimitz class
Built1958–1961
In service
  • 1961–2012 (active)
  • 2012–2017 (inactive)
Planned6
Completed1
Cancelled5
Retired1
History
United States
NameEnterprise
NamesakeUSS Enterprise (CV-6)
Ordered15 November 1957
BuilderNewport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
Cost$451.3 million
Laid down4 February 1958
Launched24 September 1960
Christened24 September 1960
Acquired29 October 1961
Commissioned25 November 1961
Decommissioned3 February 2017
In service12 January 1962
Out of service1 December 2012
ReclassifiedCVN-65 from CVA(N)-65
Refit27 September 1994
Stricken3 February 2017
Motto
  • We are Legend;
  • Ready on Arrival;
  • The First, the Finest;
  • Eight Reactors, None Faster
Nickname(s)Big E
StatusAwaiting recycling at HII Shipyard, Newport News, Virginia
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeEnterprise-class aircraft carrier
Displacement93,284-long-ton (94,781 t) full load
Length
  • 1,123 ft (342 m) (after refit)
  • 1,088 ft (332 m) (original)
Beam
  • 132.8 ft (40.5 m) (waterline)
  • 257.2 ft (78.4 m) (extreme)
Draft39 ft (12 m)
Propulsion
Speed33.6 kn (38.7 mph; 62.2 km/h)
RangeUnlimited distance; 20–25 years
Complement
  • 5,828 (maximum)
  • Ship's company: 3,000 (2,700 Sailors, 150 Chiefs, 150 Officers)
  • Air wing: 1,800 (250 pilots, and 1,550 support personnel)
Sensors and
processing systems
  • AN/SPS-48 3D air search radar
  • AN/SPS-49 2D air search radar
  • MK-23 Target Acquisition System Fire Control Radar
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Armor8 in (20 cm) aluminum belt (equivalent to 4 in (10 cm) rolled homogeneous steel armor), armored flight deck, hangar, magazines and reactor
Aircraft carried
  • Hold up to 90
  • 60+ (normally)
Aviation facilitiesFlight deck: 1,123 ft (342 m)
NotesEquipped with 4 steam-powered catapults.

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 inactivated on 1 December 2012, and officially decommissioned on 3 February 2017, after over 55 years of service. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register the same day.

The name has been adopted by the future Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-80).

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