Enterprise-class (CVN-65)
Summary
| Origin country | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Category | Aircraft carrier |
| Subtype | Nuclear-powered fleet carrier |
| Manufacturer | Newport News Shipbuilding |
| Year commissioned | 1961 |
| Approx. unit cost | $451 million |
| Units | CVN-65 ENTERPRISE |
Description
Commissioned in 1961, the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), formerly CVA(N)-65, was the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the eighth U.S. Navy vessel to bear the name. Known as the "Big E," she was the lengthiest naval vessel ever built at her time and was distinctive for being the only ship in her class with six planned sister ships that were never constructed. With a displacement ranking her class as the third-heaviest carrier class, the Enterprise had a service life spanning over 55 years with a crew of some 4,600 service members.
The Enterprise was designed under project SCB 160 and featured unique elements, such as more than two nuclear reactors and four rudders, a design unlike any other carrier class. However, due to cost overruns during her construction, she was commissioned without her planned missile launchers and initially had little in the way of defensive armament. Later, the ship was fitted with various missile systems and gun mounts to enhance her defensive capabilities.
The carrier was equipped with the SCANFAR phased array radar system, innovative for its time, for tracking multiple airborne targets, which was later replaced due to reliability issues.
Throughout her operational history, the Enterprise played critical roles in key events such as the blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis, military actions during the Vietnam War where she was the first nuclear-powered ship to engage in combat, and operations in the Arabian Sea, among others. Noteworthy incidents include surviving a major ordnance fire in 1969 and conducting critical missions in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
After 25 deployments, the Enterprise was inactivated in December 2012 and officially decommissioned in February 2017. The name Enterprise will continue in the U.S. Navy with the future Gerald R. Ford-class carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-80).
Throughout its service, Enterprise's accolades were notable, and her presence in pop culture, including movies like "Top Gun" and "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," etched the carrier's legacy into American history. Although she will not be turned into a museum due to cost and safety reasons related to her nuclear reactors, the legacy of this iconic ship endures.
Technical specifications
| Enterprise | |
|---|---|
| Displacement | 93970 tons |
| Range | Unlimited, except by food supplies |
| Crew | 5,828 members |
| Width | 40.5 m (132.9 ft) |
| Length | 342.0 m (1122.0 ft) |
| Air Park | 46 F/A-18 C/D Hornets, 4 E/A-6B Prowlers, 4 E-2C Hawkeyes, 8 S-3B Vikings, 2 C-2A Greyhounds, 7 SH-60F/H Seahawks |
| Propulsion | 8 Westinghouse A 2W reactors with a total power of 280,000 hp - 4 propellers |
| Thrust | 40000 hp |
| Armament | 3 Mk.29 Sea Sparrow launchers (VIII 3) + 3 CIWS Mk.15 Phalanx + 4 12.7 mm machine guns |
| Maximum speed | 34 knots |
Photo of Enterprise class
