{"id":10088,"date":"2012-12-02T16:53:36","date_gmt":"2012-12-02T21:53:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/angry.net\/blog2\/?p=10088"},"modified":"2020-11-10T05:53:16","modified_gmt":"2020-11-10T10:53:16","slug":"the-end-of-an-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/angry.net\/blog2\/?p=10088","title":{"rendered":"The End of an Era"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good day all. An era in American military history ended last week when the USS Enterprise, CVN-65, was taken out of active service after a career that lasted 51 years.<\/p>\n

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The Enterprise was the first nuclear powered carrier in the U.S. fleet, being commissioned November 25th<\/sup>, 1961. Here is the story from Fox News<\/a>:<\/p>\n

The USS Enterprise ((USS ENTERPRISE<\/a>)) ended its notable 51-year career during a ceremony at its home port at Naval Station Norfolk, where thousands of former crew members, ship builders and their families lined a pier to bid farewell to one of the most decorated ships in the Navy.<\/p>\n

The Enterprise was the largest ship in the world at the time it was built, earning the nickname “Big E.” It didn’t have to carry conventional fuel tanks for propulsion, allowing it to carry twice as much aircraft fuel and ordnance than conventional carriers at the time. Using nuclear reactors also allowed the ship to set speed records and stay out to sea during a deployment without ever having to refuel, one of the times ships are most vulnerable to attack.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Today, all American carriers are nuclear powered. The Enterprise had eight Westinghouse A2W nuclear reactors. Today\u2019s carriers, starting with the USS Nimitz ((USS Nimitz<\/a>)), only need two reactors to power them. The Enterprise was not only a mighty warship, but also a prototype. Much was learned during her construction which helped naval architects build more efficient power plants.<\/p>\n

The ship served in every major conflict since participating in a blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, helping earn its motto of “We are Legend.”<\/p>\n

In the latest conflict, Enterprise was headed back to Virginia following a regularly scheduled deployment when the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks happened. As soon as the ship’s captain saw the attacks he turned around without orders to steam toward southwest Asia, where it later launched some of the first attacks against Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. The ship’s captain was Adm. James A. Winnefeld, who now serves as the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.<\/p>\n

“She just served on the cutting edge at the tip of the spear when she returned here in November,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert said. “It’s shown that the aircraft carrier can evolve as a platform with many payloads relevant for five decades and will be part of our national security for the foreseeable future as we bring on the Gerald Ford to replace the Enterprise.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

With the retirement of the Enterprise, the United States will only have 10 carriers available. The USS Lincoln is in drydock for a major overhaul and refueling of her reactors. The new Ford class carriers ((USS Gerald R. Ford<\/a>)) aren\u2019t due to be commissioned until 2015. The Enterprise was designed to be in service for only 25 years, but with several major overhauls and SLEPs ((Service Life Extension Program)), the Enterprise kept America safe for twice as long as her designers expected. Eventually, she became the second oldest commissioned warship in the United States fleet. (The oldest being the USS Constitution ((Old Ironsides)))<\/p>\n

There was hope that the Enterprise could be turned into a museum ship, but the only way the reactors can be removed is to basically rip the hull apart in order to get them out. This would so weaken the ship that it wouldn\u2019t be safe to dock her permanently without extensive and expensive modifications.<\/p>\n

While the Enterprise was inactivated Saturday, it will be several more years before it is fully decommissioned. Its nuclear fuel must first be removed by punching gigantic holes in the ship, rendering it unfit for service or turning it into a museum. It will eventually be towed to Washington state for scrapping.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So what will happen to the vaunted name \u201cEnterprise?\u201d will we have to wait until they build a starship and designate her NX-01 ((Enterprise (NX-01)<\/a>))? Thankfully, no.<\/p>\n

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was the eighth U.S. ship to bear the name Enterprise, but it won’t be the last. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said in a video message that a future aircraft carrier would be named USS Enterprise, after the delivery of the USS Gerald R. Ford and the USS John F. Kennedy.<\/p>\n

Mabus’ announcement drew a standing ovation from those on hand at Saturday’s ceremony. Current and former crew members have lobbied heavily to preserve Enterprise’s name so its legacy will live on.<\/p>\n

“It just seems to be a neat name for a ship. It’s better than being named for a politician,” said Larry Kosnopfal, one of the ship’s original crew members, who now lives in Chadfield, Minnesota.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I recall some discussions about naming either the Ford or Kennedy as Enterprise, but the decisions had already bee, made and set in stone. It will be a few years before the new Enterprise is launched. However, this won\u2019t be the first time there was a delay between the decommissioning of one Enterprise and the commissioning of her successor. The first carrier to bear the name \u201cEnterprise\u201d ((USS Enterprise (CV-6)<\/a>)) was decommissioned in 1947 after serving honorably in some of the biggest naval battles in World War Two. The \u201cBig E\u201d wasn\u2019t commissioned until 14 years later.<\/p>\n

The Enterprise was a great ship and she will be missed in the fleet. I suspect that a large amount of her hull will be recycled into the new Enterprise ((USS Enterprise (CVN-80)<\/a>)) when she is laid down sometime in 2018.<\/p>\n

Raise a glass to this fine ship and to all those her served on her.<\/p>\n

Thatisall<\/p>\n

~The Angry Webmaster~<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\"1\"2\"3\"4\"5 (2<\/strong> votes, average: 1.00<\/strong> out of 5)
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As China showcases carrier, global naval balance shifting | Global …<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
The retirement this month of the USS Enterprise after half a century of service will bring Washington once again down to 10 carriers. With maintenance and training requirements, however, it can often only call on half that number at any given …<\/div>\n
http:\/\/globalbalita.com\/<\/a> \u2014 Sun, 02 Dec 2012 11:15:08 -0800<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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What is Silver Wings Over Washington?: USS Enterprise (CVN 65)<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
The world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was retired from active service on Saturday, temporarily reducing the number of carriers in the U.S. fleet to 10 until 2015. The USS Enterprise ended its notable 51-year career during a ceremony at its home port at Naval Station Norfolk, where thousands of former crew members, ship builders and their families lined a pier to bid farewell to one of the most decorated ships in the Navy. “It’ll be a special memory. The tour yesterday was a …<\/div>\n
http:\/\/silverwingsoverwashington.blogspot.com\/<\/a> \u2014 Sun, 02 Dec 2012 09:49:00 -0800<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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USS Enterprise Carrier Taken out of Active Service \u2013 ABC News …<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
The world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was retired from active service on Saturday, temporarily reducing the number of carriers in the U.S. fleet to 10 until 2015. The USS Enterprise ended its notable 51-year career during a ceremony …<\/div>\n
http:\/\/opensourceintelproject.wordpress.com\/<\/a> \u2014 Sun, 02 Dec 2012 09:45:43 -0800<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Rogue Gunner: USS Enterprise Inactivated<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
The only ship of her class, Enterprise was the second-oldest commissioned vessel in the United States Navy after the wooden-hulled USS Constitution. Enterprise was commissioned in 1961 and after 51-years was retired from active service …<\/div>\n
http:\/\/www.roguegunner.com\/ \u2014 Sun, 02 Dec 2012 08:41:00 -0800<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Choice Morsels: USS Enterprise Retiring!<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
The Enterprise is notable for being the world’s first nuclear powered Aircraft Carrier. She is destined for scraping, however, because removing the nuclear stuff will require knocking large holes in her. So a retired to the life of a floating museum …<\/div>\n
http:\/\/choice-morsels.blogspot.com\/<\/a> \u2014 Sun, 02 Dec 2012 08:24:00 -0800<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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ZANZIBAR NI KWETU: As China showcases carrier, global naval …<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
The retirement this month of the USS Enterprise after half a century of service will bring Washington once again down to 10 carriers. With maintenance and training requirements, however, it can often only call on half that number at any given …<\/div>\n
http:\/\/zanzibarnikwetu.blogspot.com\/<\/a> \u2014 Sun, 02 Dec 2012 08:17:00 -0800<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Good day all. An era in American military history ended last week when the USS Enterprise, CVN-65, was taken out of active service after a career that lasted 51 years. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5,37,71,57],"tags":[11,12,17,101,57,28,124],"class_list":["post-10088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history","category-liberty-politics","category-news-of-the-day","category-technology","tag-america","tag-freedom","tag-liberty","tag-news","tag-technology","tag-united-states","tag-us-navy"],"views":2457,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6314,"url":"https:\/\/angry.net\/blog2\/?p=6314","url_meta":{"origin":10088,"position":0},"title":"And the destruction of America continues","author":"Angry Webmaster","date":"January 16, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Good evening all. 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