For other ships of the same name, see
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<br>USS ''Enterprise'', USS ''Long Beach'' and USS ''Bainbridge'' in formation in the Mediterranean , 18 June 1964 ''Enterprise'' crew members are spelling out Einstein's Mass-energy Equivalence formula ''E'' = ''mc''&2 on the flight deck
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15 November 1957
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Newport News Shipbuilding And Drydock Company
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4 February 1958
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24 September 1960
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24 September 1960 <!-- The ''Enterprise'' was christened and launched on the say day -->
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25 November 1961
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2014-2015 (planned)
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12 January 1962 (maiden voyage)
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CVN-65
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Active in service as of 2007
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Norfolk, Virginia
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approx 93,500 tons full load
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1,123 ft (3423 m)
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1328 ft (405 m)
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39 ft (119 m)
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8 x A2W Reactor , 4 x steam turbine, 4 shafts, 280,000 shp (210 MW)
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30+ knots (56+ km/h, 34+ mph)<!-- (4321 knots calculated speed based on waterline length and beam)-->
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Ship's company: 3,000 (2,700 Sailors, 150 Chiefs, 150 Officers)
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2 Sea Sparrow launchers, <br/>2 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS mounts, <br/>2 RAM launchers
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8 inch (20 cm) aluminum belt (equivalent to 4 inch rolled homogeneous steel armour)
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approx 66: <br/>Forty three F/A-18 Hornet s <br/>Four EA-6B Prowler s <br/>Four E-2C Hawkeye s <br/>Six S-3 Viking s <br/>Five SH-60 Seahawk s)<br>Though can hold up to 90 aircraft
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''Ready on Arrival <br/>The First, the Finest <br/>Eight Reactors, None Faster''
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''Big E / Mobile Chernobyl / Quarter Mile Island''
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915 engineers designed the ship They made 16,100 drawings and 2,400 blueprints The ship has about 625 miles of electrical cables and 37 miles of ventilation ducts The ship has 4 steam powered catapults
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The , formerly CVA(N)-65, is the world's first nuclear-powered Aircraft Carrier and the eighth U.S. Naval vessel to Bear The Name . Like Her Predecessor of World War II fame, she is nicknamed the “''Big E''”. At 1,123 feet (342.3 m), she is the longest Naval Vessel in the world List Of World's Longest Ships , though her 93,500 tons displacement places her as the second heaviest Supercarrier , surpassed only by the ''Nimitz''-class .
''Enterprise'' is currently homeported at Norfolk, Virginia . As one of the oldest carriers in the fleet, she is scheduled for Decommissioning in 2013-2015. Her intended replacement is the USS ''Gerald R. Ford'' (CVN-78) . Her current commanding officer is Captain Ronald Horton.
''Enterprise'' was intended to be the first of a class of six, but construction costs ballooned and the remaining vessels were never laid down resulting in her being the only ship of her class. USS ''America'' (CV-66) was ordered as a conventional ''Kitty Hawk''-class . CVN-67, with a new reactor design, was reordered during construction as the conventionally-powered USS ''John F. Kennedy'' . Series production of nuclear carriers finally commenced with USS ''Nimitz'' (CVN-68) , the first of 10 ''Nimitz''-class supercarriers. Because of her expense, ''Enterprise'' was launched without weapon systems (she was originally intended to receive two twin Terrier Missile launchers); a later Retrofit added three Phalanx mounts and two NATO Sea Sparrow Missile Launchers . In the 2000s her armament was refitted again, gaining two RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile launchers while dispensing with the forward-most Phalanx mount. She is also the only aircraft carrier to house more than two nuclear reactors. ''Enterprise''’s eight-reactor propulsion design was rather conservative, with each A2W Reactor taking the place of one boiler. She is the only carrier to be fitted with four rudders compared to two for the other classes, and features a more Cruiser -like hull.1
In 1958 ''Enterprise''’s keel was laid at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. On September 24 , 1960 the ship was Launched for the first time, sponsored by Mrs. W. B. Franke , wife of the former Secretary Of The Navy . On November 25 , 1961 the Enterprise was Commissioned , with Captain Vincent P. DePoix in command. On January 12 , 1962 the ship then made its maiden voyage conducting a three-month shakedown cruise.
After commissioning, ''Enterprise'' began a lengthy series of tests and training exercises designed to determine the full capabilities of the Nuclear-powered Aircraft Carrier . Immediately her Superlative characteristics and performance became obvious.
Soon after, ''Enterprise'' was dispatched to its first international crisis. For some months, the United States had been flying U-2 Reconnaissance Planes over Cuba , an island nation 90 miles (145 km) off the coast of Florida . During one such flight over Cuba pictures obtained from the spy planes revealed what appeared to be Soviet Missile Silo s under construction. Fearing the worst, the United States began to prepare for military action against Cuba, moving several Army units to Florida and supporting these units with a strong naval force.
- John F. Kennedy announced that U.S. reconnaissance flights had revealed a Soviet Buildup Of Offensive Missiles On The Island Of Cuba . The President ordered a naval and air quarantine on shipment of offensive military equipment to Cuba and demanded the Soviets dismantle the missile sites there. As part of the Presidentially imposed blockade of Cuba, ''Enterprise'' and other ships from the Second Fleet had been mobilized, and the ships of the blockading force were in position at sea when the quarantine officially began. ''Enterprise'', supported by the carriers ''Independence'' , ''Essex'' , and ''Randolph'' , and backed by shore based aircraft commenced with the blockade. On the same day the service tours of all officers and enlisted men were extended indefinitely.
- 24 October 1962 : ''Enterprise'' and other ships in the Second Fleet began a "strict quarantine of all offensive military equipment under shipment to Cuba".
- 25 October 1962 : The first Soviet ship was stopped.
- Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles and dismantle the missile bases in Cuba.
- piloted by Lt. Commander Lee M. Ramsey was catapulted off ''Enterprise'' in the first shipboard test of nose-tow gear designed to replace the catapult bridle and reduce launching intervals. Minutes later the second nose-tow launch was made by an A-6A .
- to the Mediterranean .
- to the Mediterranean .
- and USS ''Bainbridge'' joined ''Enterprise''. This was during the third Mediterranean deployment.
- , sailed on Operation Sea Orbit , an historic 65-day, 30,216 mile (49,190 km) voyage around the world, accomplished without a single refueling or replenishment. The ports the Enterprise visited during this trip were Karachi, Pakistan , Rio De Janeiro , Brazil , and Sydney , Australia . In October , ''Enterprise'' returned to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company for its first refueling and overhaul.
- in November 1965 : The Big E was transferred to the Pacific's Seventh Fleet.
- near Bien Hoa . ''Enterprise'' launched 125 Sortie s on the first day, unleashing 167 tons of bombs and rockets on the enemy's supply lines.
- 3 December 1965 : She set a record of 165 strike sorties in a single day.
- by a North Korea n patrol boat. A Task Group, composed of ''Enterprise'' and screen, was ordered to reverse course in the East China Sea and to run northward to the East Korea Sea where it operated near South Korea for almost a month.
- rocket warhead attached to an F-4 Phantom was overheated by exhaust from an aircraft starting unit and detonated, setting off fires and additional explosions across the carrier. The fire was brought under control relatively promptly when compared with previous carrier flight deck fires, but 27 lives were lost, and an additional 314 people were injured. The fire had destroyed 15 aircraft, and the resulting damage forced ''Enterprise'' to put in for repairs, primarily to repair the flight deck's armored plating. This film extract shows some of the events. The film can also be seen on this website .
- early March and the ship proceeded on its deployment to Vietnam and Tonkin Gulf.
- n aircraft Shot Down An Unarmed EC-121 Constellation which was on a routine reconnaissance patrol over the East Korea Sea from its base at Atsugi, Japan . The entire 31-man crew was killed. The United States responded by activating Task Force 71 to protect such flights over those International Waters in the future. Initially, the Task Force consisted of the carriers ''Enterprise'', ''Ticonderoga'' , ''Ranger'' and ''Hornet'' with a screen of cruisers and destroyers.
The ships for Task Force 71 were drawn mostly from Southeast Asia duty (Vietnam War support), and proceeded toward the North Korea area at relatively high speed while forming Task Force 71 en route. Captain Kent Lee (later a Vice Admiral) of ''Enterprise'' was the senior officer in Task Force 71 and, thus, was the Officer in Tactical Command (OTC) of one of the largest shows of force in the area since the Korean War.
In all, ''Enterprise'' made six combat deployments to Southeast Asia from 1965 to 1972 .
- 1969 - 1970: ''Enterprise'' returned to Newport News Shipbuilding for an overhaul and her second refitting.
- 19 January 1971 : She completed sea trials with her newly-designed nuclear reactor cores which contained enough energy to power her for the next 10 years. ''Enterprise'' then set sail for Vietnam to provide air support for U.S. and South Vietnamese units.
- In Vietnam ''Enterprise'', ''Oriskany'' , and ''Midway'' spent a total of 22 two-carrier days and nine single-carrier days on station, resulting in a strike sortie count of 2,001 on 30 July 1971 . Strike operations during July were disrupted when the carriers on station evaded three Typhoon s — Harriet, Kim and Jean. A slight increase in South Vietnam strike sorties occurred during the month. These were mainly visual strikes against enemy troop positions and in support of U.S. Helicopter operations.
- 1 August to 8 August 1971 : Dual-carrier operations.
- 9 August to 31 August 1971 : ''Enterprise'' was alone on station. This resulted in a total of eight two-carrier days and 23 single-carrier days which produced a strike sortie count of 1,915 for the month.
- .
- .
- .
- One day in September 1971 was a two-carrier day. This month produced 1,243 strike sorties.
- 1 October to 10 October 1971 : On Yankee Station, ''Midway'' was on single-carrier operation.
- 11 October to 30 October 1971 : On Yankee Station, ''Enterprise'' was on single-carrier operation.
- was altered through deployment of six MiG aircraft south of 20° latitude north — two each at Vinh , Quan Lang and Bai Thuong .
- November 1971: Alternating on Yankee Station, ''Oriskany'', ''Constellation'' and ''Enterprise'' provided 22 two-carrier days on the line, delivering 1,766 ordnance-bearing strike sorties, 12 into North Vietnam and 9 into South Vietnam . Two reconnaissance missions were flown during the month, with the airfield at Vinh the mission assignment. Escort aircraft on both missions expended ordnance in a protective reaction role against firing Anti-aircraft Artillery sites near the field. Other protective reaction strikes were executed.
- December 1971: The Enterprise was sent to the Bay of Bengal to aid West Pakistan in its war against India.
- operations to a close. This goodwill gesture of terminating the bombing in North Vietnam above the 20th parallel was designed to help promote the peace negotiations being held in Paris , France . ''Enterprise'' and the other carriers had flown a total of 23,652 tactical air attack sorties into North Vietnam from May to October, and U.S. tactical air sorties during Linebacker I operations helped to stem the flow of supplies into North Vietnam, thereby limiting the operating capabilities of the North Vietnamese Army.
- during the bombing halt, and remained on station. As a result of the bombing halt above the 20th parallel in North Vietnam, no MiG kills or U.S. losses were recorded during this time.
- December 1972: The Paris peace talks stalemated.
- . During Linebacker II operations, ''Enterprise'' and other carriers on station reseeded the mine fields in Haiphong harbor and conducted concentrated strikes against surface-to-air missile and antiaircraft artillery sites, enemy army barracks, petroleum storage areas, Haiphong naval and shipyard areas, and railroad and truck stations. Navy tactical air attack sorties under Linebacker II were centered in the coastal areas around Hanoi and Haiphong. There were 705 Navy sorties in this area during Linebacker II. Between 18 December and 22 December the Navy conducted 119 Linebacker II strikes in North Vietnam, with the main limiting factor on airstrikes being bad weather.
- from VF-142 on board ''Enterprise'' downed a MiG-21 , the 24th downed by Navy and Marine Corps pilots during the Vietnam War .
- 29 December 1972 : The North Vietnamese returned to the peace table. Linebacker II ended.
s, and operated with these fighters until their retirement from ''Enterprise'' in 2001.]]
- was announced.
- 27 January 1973 : The Vietnam cease-fire came into effect, and ''Oriskany'', ''America'', ''Enterprise'' and ''Ranger'' canceled all combat sorties into North and South Vietnam.
- . The corridor for overflights was between Hue and Da Nang in South Vietnam . These combat support sorties were flown in support of the Laotian government which had requested this assistance. Laos had no relationship with the cease-fire in Vietnam.
- After the cease-fire in Vietnam, ''Enterprise'' proceeded to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington , where the Big E was altered and refitted to support the Navy's newest fighter aircraft—the F-14 Tomcat . Two of four jet blast deflectors (JBD) were enlarged to accommodate the Tomcat . The number four propulsion shaft was replaced due to being bent after its screw became fouled in a discarded arresting gear cable.
- 18 March 1974 : The first operational F-14 aircraft made its maiden landings and take-offs from ''Enterprise''.
- September 1974: ''Enterprise'' became the first carrier to deploy with the new fighter plane when she made her seventh western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployment.
- struck the island nation of Mauritius .
- .
- . Carrier personnel spent more than 10,000 man-hours rendering such assistance as restoring water, power and telephone systems, clearing roads and debris, and providing helicopter, medical, food and drinkable water support to the stricken area.
- , ''Hancock'' , and ''Okinawa'' deployed to waters off Vietnam for possible evacuation contingencies as North Vietnam , in violation of the Paris Peace Accords , launched a conventional invasion of South Vietnam .
- was carried out by U.S. Navy and Marine Corps helicopters from the Seventh Fleet. Frequent Wind involved the evacuation of American citizens from the capital of South Vietnam under heavy attack from the invading forces of North Vietnam. The military situation around Saigon and its Tan Son Nhat airport made Evacuation by helicopter the only way out.
- flown in for that purpose. All but a handful of the 900 Americans in Saigon were evacuated. The last helicopter lifted off the roof of the United States Embassy at 7:52 p.m. carrying Marine security guards. During Operation Frequent Wind, ''Enterprise'' aircraft flew 95 sorties.
- July deployment. During this:-
- , the President of Uganda, made derogatory remarks against the USA in public and ordered all Americans in Uganda to meet with him. This was several months after the Israeli raid at Entebbe airport. ''Enterprise'' and her escort ships, having just left Mombasa, Kenya, after a port call, were directed to remain in the area and operated off the east African coast for approximately one week. At that point the ships were scheduled to be on their way home after a seven-month deployment. The ship's Marine detachment and air wing prepared for a possible mission to rescue and evacuate the Americans, but Amin eventually released all his 'guests.' The ships then steamed across the Indian Ocean at high speed to make their previously-scheduled final port call at NAS Cubi Point in the Philippines, then after dodging a typhoon, transited the Pacific at high speed to return home approximately on time.
- 1978: ''Enterprise'''s ninth WESTPAC deployment.
- January for a 30-month comprehensive overhaul. During this overhaul, the ship's superstructure was modified, removing the SCANFAR radars and the unique inverted cone-shaped top section which was 3 stories high, comprising the 013, 014 and 015 levels.
- 1982 : ''Enterprise'''s 10th WESTPAC deployment.
- April 1983 : Ran aground on a sandbar in San Francisco Bay while returning from deployment and remained stuck there for several hours Ironically, George Takei, who played Mr. Sulu, helmsman of the fictional starship ''Enterprise'', was aboard at the time [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,923599,00.html . Takei was a special guest of Navy that day. He and several other VIPs were flown out to the ship via helicopter from Naval Air Station Alameda. Even though groundings and collisions are usually career-enders for U.S. warship captains, the ''Enterprise'' captain at the time, Robert J. Kelly, who had already been selected for promotion to commodore, eventually became a four-star admiral and commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet [http://www.cpf.navy.mil/former_commander.htm].
- 1984 : ''Enterprise'''s 11th WESTPAC deployment.
- during exercises damaging outer hull and propeller. Continued operations and later went to dry dock for repairs.
- 1986 : ''Enterprise'''s 12th WESTPAC deployment.
- . She went from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean to relieve ''Coral Sea'' , on station with ''America'' off the coast of Libya . The transit began at 0300 and lasted 12 hours. It was the first time in over 22 years that ''Enterprise'' was in the Mediterranean Sea .
- April , escorting reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers in the Persian Gulf while stationed in the North Arabian Sea.
- struck an Iranian mine in International Waters .
- was launched in retaliation against Iranian targets involving both surface and air units. Carrier Air Wing 11 aircraft from ''Enterprise'' were the major aviation participants. The initial American strikes centered around a surface group action against two Iranian Oil Platform s that had been identified as support bases for Iranian attacks on merchant shipping. Aircraft from CVW-11 provided air support for the surface groups in the form of surface combat air patrols, flying A-6 Intruder s and A-7 Corsair II s, and combat air patrols with F-14 Tomcat s.
- September 1989 : ''Enterprise'' began her 14th overseas deployment.
- early December , President George H.W. Bush 's response to Philippine President Corazon Aquino 's request for air support during the rebel coup attempt. ''Enterprise'' remained on station conducting flight operations in the waters outside Manila Bay until the situation subsided, and then proceeded to her scheduled deployment to the Indian Ocean .
- March . ''Enterprise'' had safely steamed more than 43,000 miles (69,000 km) from its long-time home port of Alameda, California .
- October 1990 : ''Enterprise'' moved to Newport News Shipbuilding for refueling and the Navy's largest complex overhaul refit ever attempted. During this overhaul, the Navy extended ''Enterprise'''s length from 1,101 ft to 1,123 ft as well as other refits to extend her service life.
- 27 September 1994 : ''Enterprise'' returned to sea for sea trials, during which she performed an extended full power run as fast as when she was new.
- and over Iraq as part of Operation Southern Watch . The deployment also marked the end of an era when VA-75 retired the A-6 Intruder from the Navy. During the 6 month deployment the ship visited 8 ports (Spain, France, Greece, Israel, Bahrain, UAE, Island of Crete and Italy)
- 20 December 1996 ''Enterprise'' completed its deployment.
- February 1997 : ''Enterprise'' entered Newport News Shipbuilding for an extended selective restrictive availability lasting four-and-a-half months.
- (CVW-3).
in support of Operation Desert Fox .]]
- crashed into an S-3 Viking on the carrier's flight deck. The mishap occurred when the EA-6B was returning to ''Enterprise'' following night qualifications and struck the S-3 which was on the flight deck. Both crews were reported to have ejected from their aircraft. A fire broke out involving both aircraft, but was quickly extinguished by the ''Enterprise'' flight deck crew. Three of the four members of the Prowler crew were lost at sea. The remains of the fourth were recovered shortly after the crash. The two crew of the Viking were rushed to the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia . No other ''Enterprise'' crew members were injured. A search for three EA-6B Prowler crew members was suspended after nearly 24 hours and after covering more than 100 square nautical miles (340 km&2) on the water and 700 nautical miles (1300 km) in the air.
- in the Persian Gulf .
- During a port call in Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates , ''Enterprise'' hosted former President George H.W. Bush and a live concert by Grammy Award winning rock group Hootie And The Blowfish .
- , destroying Iraqi military targets with more than 300 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles and 691,000 pounds (313 tonnes) of ordnance. The 70-hour assault was carried out by ''Enterprise'', ''Gettysburg'' , ''Stout'' , ''Nicholson'' and ''Miami . The operation was intended to disrupt the construction of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, but instead captured world attention as a controversial act of war.
- William Cohen flew out to the carrier, bringing along his wife Janet, Senator Daniel Inouye from Hawaii , Representative John Murtha from Pennsylvania , and singers Mary Chapin Carpenter , Carole King and David Ball . The Secretary enjoyed lunch with Sailors on the mess deck before he kicked off a concert on the flight deck.
- Following operations off Sicily, ''Enterprise'' returned north, this time for a port visit in Cannes, France . Plans changed slightly, though, as Yugoslavia n peace talks in Rambouillet, France deteriorated and the carrier was ordered back to the Adriatic after only 24 hours in Cannes.
- Early March 1999: On a short recall tether, ''Enterprise'' and CVW-3 pulled into port at Trieste, Italy for their last Mediterranean port visit before returning to the Persian Gulf . They relieved ''Carl Vinson'' 14 March 1999 and took over the helm of Southern Watch.
- 6 May 1999 : ''Enterprise'' returned home.
During the 1998 - 1999 deployment, ''Enterprise'' steamed more than 50,000 miles (80,000 km) and spent 151 days underway. The aircraft of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) were launched nearly 9,000 times, logging approximately 17,000 hours in the sky. The ''Enterprise'' Battle Group was the first to deploy fully IT- 21 capable, affording the team unprecedented internal and external communication channels.
May 16 2001 ]]
- (CVW-8).
- near the Hebrides Islands , as well as land and airspace around Scotland .
- . Watching a U.S. morning news show live (although locally in the early evening) the crew saw the U.S. report that the Al Qaeda terrorist network has launched Attacks on New York 's World Trade Center and Washington D.C. 's Pentagon . The ''Enterprise'' was ordered to turn around and headed back to the waters off Southwest Asia near the Persian Gulf .
- military installations in Afghanistan . The actions were designed to disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a base for terrorist operations and to attack the military capability of the Taliban regime. Over three weeks, aircraft from ''Enterprise'' flew nearly 700 missions and dropped hundreds of thousands of pounds of ordnance over Afghanistan.
- Late October 2001 : ''Enterprise'' left Southwest Asia.
- , about two weeks later than originally planned. During its last day at sea, the ship hosted a live two-hour broadcast of ABC's 's ''Good Morning America.''
- for a scheduled one-year Extended Docking Selected Restricted Availability (EDSRA).
- Fall .
- Summer and several multinational exercises.
- 2 May 2006 : The USS Enterprise departed for a 6 month deployment, however the ship was out for a total of 6 and a half months. During the 6.5 month deployment The ship visited 8 ports (Croatia, Greece, Hong Kong, Pusan (South Korea), Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai(UAE), Portugal) supported both Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom at the same time. Returned to Norfolk November 18th 2006
- Spring 2007 : Currently surge-ready ahead of a deployment later in the year.
- 7 July 2007 : The USS Enterprise is scheduled for a 6 month deployment.
- 24 July 2007 : The USS Enterprise is set to pull in port in Cannes, France. The USS Enterprise is the first US naval vessel to make port in Cannes, France since the events of September 11, 2001.
- August 2007 : Enterprise To Join Fleet Near Iran. Enterprise Joins Fleet Near Iran
USS ''Enterprise'' is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2014-2015, with the exact year dependent on the state of the nuclear fuel currently in the carrier’s reactors. Navy CVN-21 Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress Retrieved 8 December 2006 The subsequent fate of ''Enterprise'' is, as of yet, unknown. One possibility is that the CVN-65 may end up as an aircraft-carrier Museum Ship , because ''Enterprise'' is the world’s first nuclear powered aircraft carrier. It is also possible that she could end up in the Ship-Submarine Recycling Program , in which case ''Enterprise'' would become the first nuclear powered carrier to be dismantled as part of the program.
is visible as she returns to Norfolk following the conclusion of Summer Pulse 2004]]
- Partially due to her association with her famous World War II Fore-bearer and partially due to the association of her name with the starship in the television series '' Star Trek '', USS ''Enterprise'' is quite possibly the most famous combat active vessel in the entire United States Navy.
- Because of the huge cost of her construction, ''Enterprise'' was launched and commissioned without the planned four Terrier missile launchers; these were never installed and the ship’s self-defense suite instead consisted of four RIM-7 Sea Sparrow launchers and four Vulcan Phalanx Mk. 71 gun mounts; two of the Mk. 71 mounts were later replaced with RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile launchers.
- A common misconception that began during the 1970s and persisted into the 80s and 90s was that the ''Enterprise'''s nuclear reactors gave her an abnormally high top speed, as high as 50 knots (93 km/h) was rumored. The truth was somewhat more prosaic: Since the ship carried eight nuclear reactors, she could get up full steam almost immediately, allowing her to accelerate far more quickly than any other ship until the introduction of the naval gas turbine in the early 70s. By the 1990s, Gas Turbine ships which could keep up with or even exceed the nuclear ships' acceleration were common in the fleet, but the rumors persisted and continue to persist. ''Enterprise'' also has a more hydrodynamic hull than later ''Nimitz''-class carriers; these later carriers were designed to maximize fuel spaces at the expense of absolute top speed. ''Enterprise'' was the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier and the rumors from her crew in the 80s was that they underestimated the power from the two reactors per propulsion shaft giving her a higher speed than later carriers. Bow waves making it up to the flight deck were reported and ability to distance themselves from any support ships added to the rumors about her capabilities. Given the tactical advantage with knowing her speed and range, the published top speeds are most definitely misinformation. It is likely that ''Enterprise''’s top speed is in the range of 33-36 knots (comparable to the ''Kitty Hawk''-class carriers with a similar hull form but conventional propulsion). Limiting factors on her speed are hull form, wave Drag and Cavitation . However, ''Enterprise'' can - like other nuclear carriers - maintain high speed for longer than other vessels because her speed is not limited by fuel economy.
- Another incorrect rumor is that ''Enterprise'''s reactors leak enough to be a danger on-shore from a typical harbor anchorage; this is needless to say false, as such a high level of leakage would make the ship immediately hazardous to the lives of those who serve aboard.
- ''Enterprise'' was supposed to appear in the film '''', but she was at sea at the time of filming. Instead, the carrier USS ''Ranger'' CV-61 played the part of the ''Enterprise''.
- Parts of the movie '' Top Gun '' were set aboard the ''Enterprise''; and all of the carrier operation footage was filmed aboard her during carrier qualifications off the coast of San Diego prior to her 1986 deployment.
- ''Enterprise'' was used in the filming of the movie version of Tom Clancy’s novel '' The Hunt For Red October ''.
- ''Enterprise'' had a small role in the Tom Clancy novel '' Debt Of Honor ''; at the end of a joint US-JMSDF exercise ''Enterprise'' was intentionally damaged by Japanese anti-submarine torpedoes. ''Enterprise'' was towed back to Pearl Harbor , where she remained for the remainder of the novel.
- ''Enterprise'' had a small role in the Tom Clancy novel '' Red Storm Rising '', when the carrier launched aircraft to support a small group of NATO soldiers on Iceland during the battle to retake Iceland. Although not mentioned by name, the Call Sign “ Starbase ” is used to denote the carrier.
- ''Enterprise'' is featured in the James H. Cobb novel ''Sea Strike''. It is mentioned that it is her last cruise, and would be slated for decommissioning and scrapping due to neutron fatigue from her nuclear reactors.
- ''Enterprise'' was featured in Neal Stephenson's novel '' Snow Crash '' where it had been purchased as military surplus by the tycoon L. Bob Rife. The carrier served as the core of a conglomeration of smaller boats called "The Raft", which played a central role in the book. In the book, ''Enterprise'' was still equipped with its 4 Phalanx guns which were used to enforce order on the rest of the raft.
- ''Enterprise'' appeared as the USS ''Seahawk'' in the pilot and several subsequent episodes of the TV show '' JAG ''. A model of her also appeared on the show. ''Enterprise'' then appeared as the USS ''Coral Sea'' in several subsequent episodes of the show. The also played the part of the USS ''Coral Sea''. It was used to shoot footage of a E-2C Hawkeye landing and taking off for the 1997 episode ''Vanished''. was shown as the launching point of 2 F-14's for the same episode. It is unknown if the shows producers realized the numbers on the islands and the flight decks of the three different ships would be apparent.
- ''Enterprise'' appeared as herself in an episode of '' NCIS ''.
- ''Enterprise'' appeared as the primary base of operations in GraphSim Entertainment 's ''F/A-18 Hornet'' series of video games.
- United States Naval Aviation, 1910-1995, published by the Naval Historical Center
- USS Enterprise (CVN 65) public affairs office
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