The Enterprise has just departed for a 7-month deployment to the Middle East, after which it will be decommissioned. The Enterprise was the first nuclear powered carrier, and is the oldest ship in the Navy (other than the honorarily-commissioned USS Constitution-"Old Ironsides"). Some other Enterprise stuff: The Enterprise is also the longest carrier in the fleet. She has 8 nuclear reactors. No other US carrier has more than 2. Originally designed for 25 years of service, a major overhaul in the 70's has more than doubled its life. The Enterprise supported naval operations during the Cuban Missile Crisis, was a spotter ship during John Glenn's orbital space flight, and has served in every US war or major military op since Viet Nam. She was also one of the first ships brought to full alert status on 9/11/01. The carrier scenes for the movie "Top Gun" were filmed aboard the Enterprise in 1986. Most of the current enlisted crew were not even born when the movie was shot. It will take about 2 years to remove the ship's nuclear reactors, after which, the Enterprise will be scrapped. The removal process will cause so much damage to the flight decks, it would be too costly to make repairs to turn the ship into a museum. This is the 8th USS Enterprise (and hopefully not the last). Number One was a British ship captured in1775. Number 7 was the most decorated ship of World War II, and the only US carrier in service on Dec. 7, 1941 to survive the war.
The thing I dislike is that there are no plans to rename a new aircraft carrier Enterprise. Congress in the 1970's began naming carriers after politicians instead of letting the navy name them after famous battles and historic ship names. The two carriers now under construction (one of which is intended to replace the Enterprize) are to be named Gerald R. Ford and John F. Kennedy. There is one planned for a 2023 launch that is yet unnamed, but I'll bet you a case of Mexican beer that it won't be named Enterprise.
It doesn't necessarily have to be a carrier. The history of the name in the US Navy is: Armed sloop, circa 1775 Schooner, circa 1776 12-gun schooner, circa 1799 10-gun schooner, circa 1831 rigged, steam corvette, circa 1874 Motorized patrol boat, never commissioned, circa 1917 Yorktown-class aircraft carrier, 1936 Enterprise-class aircraft carrier, 1961 US Navy ship-naming practices have always been fluid. State names were used for battleships in the first half of the 20th century, and missile subs in the second half, for instance. The Navy respects tradition, and I'm sure there will be another Enterprise. Edit: A little fact checking. There are 10 carriers of the Nimitz class on active duty. The lead ship was named after an admiral, one is named for a Senator, one for a congressman, and the remaining 7 for presidents. The Kitty Hawk class of the 60's was all over the place with naming: Kitty Hawk, Constellation, America, John F. Kennedy Breaking the naming trend with the Gerald Ford class (10 are planned, according to Wikipedia) and naming one Enterprise is not inconceivable.
Agreed. I have faith it will be a prominent ship. And I'll bet if NASA gives us another reusable spacecraft class, the first one will be Enterprise.
