50 Years of USS Enterprise (CVN 65)
USS Enterprise (CVN 65) was commissioned on Nov. 25, 1961. Happy Anniversary to “Big E,” the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
November 21, 2011
U.S. maintains fleet of 11 aircraft carriers
Aboard the country’s oldest aircraft carrier, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta vowed that he will maintain the Navy’s fleet of 11 carriers, despite budget pressures.
Panetta’s Saturday announcement aboard USS Enterprise (CVN 65) served as reassurance and encouragement to the 1,700 sailors heading to the Gulf this spring for the ship’s final deployment, in light of recent tensions with Iran.
“You’re part of what keeps our force agile and flexible and quickly deploy-able and capable of taking on any enemy, anywhere in the world,” Panetta told the crowd. “It’s for that reason that the President of the United States and all of us working at the Department of Defense have decided that it is important to maintain our carrier force at full strength and that means we’ll be keeping 11 carriers in our force.”
What do you think about SecDef Panetta’s decision to keep an 11 carrier fleet?
January 25, 2012
USS Enterprise: The Final Frontier
Sunday marks the beginning of USS Enterprise (CVN 65) 22nd, and final, deployment.
The carrier and its strike group, comprised of nearly 5,500 sailors and Marines, will set sail eastward, where it will focus on operations in the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf regions.
The 50 year old flattop, and world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is set to be decommissioned this fall, and later deactivated.
March 08, 2012
One of the darkest places in the world
Illuminated only by red lights, the deck of an aircraft carrier is arguably one of the darkest places in the world. Yet here, a Navy pilot flawlessly lands a F/A 18 Hornet on USS Enterprise in the black of night. Talk about impressive.
March 19, 2012
U.S. Navy sends second aircraft carrier to Persian Gulf region
It was announced this morning that the U.S. Navy is deploying a second aircraft carrier to Persian Gulf amid rising tensions with Iran. USS Enterprise (CVN 65) and her strike group will join USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), marking one of the few times that the Navy has had more than one carrier in the waters near the Gulf.
The deployment of the second aircraft carrier is “routine and not specific to any threat,” said Cmdr. Amy Derrick-Frost of the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet.
April 09, 2012
Life aboard USS Enterprise (CVN 65) is more complex and busy than many of us realize. It takes a lot of hard work from the sailors aboard USS Enterprise to keep things runnings up to the U.S. Navy’s high standards.
May 11, 2012
The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65), left, and the guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg (CG 69), right, conduct a replenishment at sea with the Military Sealift Command fast combat support ship USNS Supply (T-AOE 6).
July 23, 2012
Aircraft carriers in high demand
Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, the demand for aircraft carriers continues to grow. In fact, just last month, aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) was deployed four months ahead of schedule to the Persian Gulf.
U.S. Navy actions such as this are becoming commonplace, as these steel beasts, 4.5 acres of sovereign U.S. territory, are being asked to deploy more quickly and stay at sea longer in order to meet the strategic needs of our military.
With USS Enterprise (CVN 65) set to retire at the end of this year, the question becomes how will Navy meet growing demands for aircraft carriers?
August 03, 2012
