The keel of the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise (CVAN 65) was laid at Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company.
Enterprise under construction in slipway #11
Big E in late 1960 (USS Robert E. Lee in foreground, outbound for sea trials)
Underway, October 1962 with CVW-6 embarked for the Cuban Missile Crisis (hmm, keel laid Feb ’58, underway for possible combat ops a little over 4.5 years later? Think we could do *that* today? With a new design from plant to weapons system to boot? Yeah, we don’t either… – SJS)
Underway conducting combat operations North Arabian Sea, Nov 2007
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The side protection scheme of Big E is clearly evident in the top pic.
If you can look past the mess, contrast and compare the similar scheme of the Coral Sea…
Betchyah a bottom dollar that the USN won’t have a “Robert E. Lee” on the Register again any time soon……
You know, I really like the Big E.
When I was onboard in August, I could feel the history. The ship resonates with it.
I remember the mostly predictable burble, E-style, that was dished up by that superstructure tower- intimately. I had nearly 200 night traps aboard her.
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My last trap (and VAW-122′s last trap before decom) was aboard Big E – and my first ride as a ‘gator under training (GUT?) was aboard Big E. True fact – she had a pax elevator in the island that still worked, sort of (one could still get stuck), unlike the Nimitz class where it’s been turned into an electronics closet.
- SJS
My Father served aboard her with VA-97 during 2 West-Pacs in 1973-74 and the 75-76 Evacuation of Saigon cruise. I remember the smell of JP-4/5 and stale air in his coveralls when he came home to Lemoore from deployment.
25 Years later, I would serve as a member of the her ship company for 3 years during 2000-2003. I got to experience the entire cycle of Yards, COMPTUEX, JTFEX, CRUISE, YARDS…
I had the priveledge of serving during Sept 11th and be on station and “ready on arrival” the same as the WW2 ENTERPRISE was ready during WW2 after Pearl.
She is a beautiful ship. She is sleek and clean of lines and she is fast. I believe her to be the fastest in the fleet.
My wife and son got to experience the same sensory memories of JP-5 and stale air as I did. Only my wife would make me change in the mudroom and would immediatley wash my sea bag when I came home….
I will miss her when they decomm her.