Few words in the history of naval warfare evoke the same seriousness and respect as Enterprise. For almost a century, the United States Navy has reserved the name for the best and most sophisticated aircraft carriers it has ever owned—ships that have consistently explored new frontiers of technology and military power. From the legendary World War II Yorktown-class USS Enterprise (CV-6), to the trailblazing nuclear-powered CVN-65, and now to the computer-designed CVN-80, Enterprise has come to embody the spirit of innovation and aspiration on the open seas.
When USS Enterprise (CVN-65) actually entered the fleet in 1961, she redefined what an aircraft carrier could do. As the world’s first nuclear-powered carrier, she was not just a warship; she was a declaration of American ingenuity and Cold War potential.
At more than 1,100 feet in length and with a crew of about 4,600 officers and men, Enterprise was effectively a floating city. Her eight nuclear reactors were unheard of in a single ship, a testament to the go-for-broke attitude of an age that dreamed large and sought aggressive technological leaps.
However, as with all groundbreaking designs, her innovations came with intricate problems. The same characteristics that made Enterprise a wonder—her nuclear capabilities and staggering size—also rendered her retirement a sensitive and extremely controlled process. Unlike traditional carriers that can be scrapped or sunk for target practice, nuclear-powered vessels require deliberate decommissioning to ensure safe disposal of their radioactive parts.
Historically, the Navy’s practice of decommissioning nuclear ships, in the decades of experience with cruisers and submarines, has consisted of defueling the reactors and then removing them for safe disposal.
Carriers, however, are much larger and take up valuable dock space necessary for support of the active fleet. Enterprise was a special case: her eight smaller reactors were distinct from the two large ones of subsequent Nimitz-class ships, making the process even more complicated.
Following close examination and public comment, the Navy chose an innovative strategy: a cooperative partnership with the private sector. Drawing on experience from civilian nuclear power plant decommissioning, contractors will section the defueled reactors carefully and package them for safe shipment to authorized disposal facilities. Simultaneously, nonradioactive components will be recycled or disposed of under strict guidelines.
This approach holds several benefits—accelerated schedules, lower costs, and minimal interruption of shipyard activities. Approximates are given that the job would cost somewhere in the vicinity of five years at $554 to $696 million (2019 dollars), much less than if the entire process stayed within Navy yards.
Though inflation will factor in on the final tallies, the method opens up dock space for operational carriers and develops the know-how that will serve to manage the eventual decommissioning of other titans such as USS Nimitz and USS Eisenhower.
The Enterprise story is not concluded in CVN-65. At Newport News Shipbuilding, the next-generation Ford-class carrier CVN-80 has already started taking shape. The new Enterprise will be the first ship in the fleet to be designed from the ground up with digital tools, 3D models, and tablets instead of paper blueprints. The methodology is expected to expedite construction time, lower costs, and establish a new benchmark in naval shipbuilding.
Ultimately, the USS Enterprise represents far more than a timeline of technological milestones. Her story is one of adaptation, problem-solving, and meeting the evolving needs of the fleet. As the Navy develops new ways to retire nuclear carriers and embraces digital transformation in shipbuilding, the lessons of the past century ensure that the next Enterprise will carry forward a proud tradition of innovation, resilience, and maritime strength.