Big E is officially inactivated

[Keith Outten]

There are a lot of Sailors here, there may be many who served on The Enterprise who would be interested in her final stage of service. In 1971 I worked for Nuclear Service and Construction Company, we had a contract to modify the new steam generators that were built to replace the original generators so I have my own personal connection to this mighty warship. For weeks I climbed inside the primary side of all the new generators operating a purge for the welders in our shop who were modifying the generator tubes.

Many times I have had the pleasure of watching "The Big E" moving in and out of Hampton Roads, it was a majestic sight to say the least and the people of Hampton Roads who built Enterprise were particularly proud of what they accomplished

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From:
Hugh Lessig
Contact: Reporterhlessig@dailypress.com


The Navy and Newport News Shipbuilding have officially pulled the plug on the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, ending a painstaking, never-before-done process that began several years ago.
The completed inactivation of the former USS Enterprise was confirmed Monday by officials at the Sea-Air-Space 2018 exposition in National Harbor, Md.
However, the ship won’t be leaving the area anytime soon.
It is expected to remain at Newport News until 2021, possibly longer, while the Navy assesses the environmental impact of disposal options, said Capt. John Markowicz of Naval Sea Systems Command. Several scenarios remain on the table, Markowicz said. The ship could be towed to Puget Sound, where other nuclear vessels have been disposed. But it could also be handled commercially.

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The USS Enterprise was the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The Big E was decommissioned on Friday, Feb. 3, 2017 at Newport News Shipbuilding. The ceremony took place nearly 59 years to the day from its keel-laying on Feb. 4, 1958.

(Daily Press, U.S. Navy, Newport News Shipbuilding)

The shipyard completed its base contract work on Enterprise in December. The government recently finalized its review and certification of the paperwork.

The Newport News yard, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, is the nation’s sole designer, builder and refueler of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
Enterprise is the only ship of its class and served the country for 51 years. It defended the nation’s interests from the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and was the forerunner of the Nimitz-class ships that now make up the bulk of the carrier fleet.
Enterprise completed its final combat deployment in 2012. It was towed from Naval Station Norfolk to the Newport News shipyard in June 2013.
The deactivation process required more than 1,000 shipbuilders who defueled Enterprise’s eight nuclear reactors, inactivated its propulsion systems and prepared its hull for final tow.
Shipbuilders are currently doing advance work on the newest Enterprise, which will be the third carrier in the Gerald R. Ford class.

[Howard Garner]

Sad to see such a great target being put out to pasture.
Kudos to all who served and worked on that great ship.
(from one of the undersea sailors)

Howard Garner

[Marshall Harrison]

Agreed. Sad to see such a noble lady put to pasture. I was Army but i have great respect for the big battleships and carriers. They were impressive. I'll never forget seeing video of Mighty MO firing a full broadside.

[Bill Dufour]

I remember as a kid when she docked at Alameda NAS, her home port back then, Then local paper had an article about it with the phone number to call to talk to friends/relatives onboard. Problem was they used our home number. The phone company quickly put an operator who took all calls and friends who wanted to talk to us had to first explain the the operator they wanted us and not the ship.
Our number was also one digit off from the "stuff and junk store"
I also heard she has to wait for low tide to go in or out under the golden gate bridge. That is after folding down the top 20 feet or so of her radio masts etc.
Bill D

[Malcolm McLeod]

4.5 acres of sovereign US territory, anywhere in the world its needed!

[Frederick Skelly]

Well done Enterprise!
Thank you!

[Marshall Harrison]

4.5 acres of sovereign US territory, anywhere in the world its needed!

4.5 acres of US supremacy any where in the world that its needed.

[Jim Becker]

It's certainly a sad moment when a magnificent achievement like this has "reached its time" to step aside. But I also believe it's a time to appreciate that this amazing war ship also provided a significant service to the next generation(s) that replaces it...proof of concept, lessons learned, inspiration to achieve greater capability with correspondingly greater safety, efficiency and ease of deployment and management.

[Keith Outten]

All of the big carriers eventually come back home to Hampton Roads whether its for refueling, major maintenance or when its time to retire. They are magnificent machines and when you are near them when they move its an amazing feeling just because of their size. I was standing on a pier at dusk one evening Xraying a hull repair on a very old tin can when the brand new Nimitz was suddenly called to leave Newport News Shipbuilding. There were several tug boats on the opposite side that started the carrier moving. The Nimitz was so big I couldn't tell it was moving but I sensed something odd was happening like my legs were unstable. When I finally looked straight up I could see the deck lights moving directly above my head.

The tugs backed the carrier out into the middle of the James River and they all hit the gas to get well away from the ship. Within just a few minutes the Nimitz had a rooster tail of water hundreds of feet behind it and it took off like a speed boat. I've never seen anything like it in my life. I'm used to seeing the big carriers coming and going but they normally traverse the waterways here at a very slow pace and that's impressive enough. I figured there must have been an emergency somewhere and the carrier was called to duty even though it had only recently been through Sea Trials. I expect the Nimitz had to slow down when it went over the Hampton Roads Bridge tunnel to keep from damaging the underwater tunnels.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I rode a carrier, USS Carl Vinson, for 3 days as a guest on a Tiger cruise. The size of the ship is incredible and it's literally a city of nearly 5,000 people when under way with it's squadrons of aircraft and crews aboard. They are as impressive on the surface as the fast attack subs were that I repaired for 8 months while a crew member of a sub-tender.

[michael langman]

Which tender Ken? I was on the LY SpearAS36, for 3 years, at The D&S Piers on Hampton Roads.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I was on the USS Orion AS-18 from Feb-Nov. '76 in Charleston, SC. I heard later after I got out she transferred to the West coast.

The other 7 years and 4 months I spent at Great Lakes, NAS Meridian, MS and NAS Kingsville, TX.

[Howard Garner]

I was on the USS Orion AS-18 from Feb-Nov. '76 in Charleston, SC. I heard later after I got out she transferred to the West coast.

The other 7 years and 4 months I spent at Great Lakes, NAS Meridian, MS and NAS Kingsville, TX.

Another sub tender guy.
AS-33 USS Simon Lake. New construction at Bremerton, Charleston, Holly Loch Scotland
Then started riding the subs. SSBN 632, 648 & 628
Retired in 1982
Howard Garner ex Missile Tech

[James Cheever]

As a career Nuclear sub officer (attacks and boomers), I felt that island always made a great aiming spot (even for smart weapons).

In all seriousness, I am very sad to see her go.

Bravo Zulu, Enterprise!

[michael langman]

My ship went down to Charleston to relieve a tender that was there around 1980 or 1981. I hitchhiked back to Norfolk, Va. with a fellow from my ship, so he could pick up his car, while we were there in Charleston. He was from Maine and had never seen colored folks. He was pretty upset and scared the entire way through S.Carolina. What memories.

Howard, In 1981 I went to Dunoon, in Holy Lock Scotland to do extensive work in the machine shop onboard the USS Holland,, a subtender that was on it's last legs. It needed e lot of repairs, before being sent back to the states. One of my best memories while serving.