USS ENTERPRISE CVA(N) / CVN-65 the world’s first nuclear-powered

Dave McKay Foreword by Vice Vincent de Poix USN (Ret.) Midword by Admiral James L. Holloway III USN (Ret.) A erword by Captain William C. Hamilton Jr. USN foreword

Vice Adm. Vincent de Poix, USN (Ret.)

his is the story of a ship that has imperative of “showing the flag” at sea Tno peer. From the day she was and in every port visited, and entertain- placed in commission in late 1961 she ing important personages and groups, has performed for 50 years as though she both civilian and military, including was an animate entity, knowledgeable heads of state. of her responsibilities in our country’s The entire crew of Enterprise fully defense and determined to meet or sur- appreciated that none of the ship’s pass every one of them. She showed these demonstrated operational excellence or traits as soon as she was taken to sea by accolades received would have been cer- her plankowner crew, breaking records tain, or even likely, but for the genius of during sea trials and continuing to top Admiral Rickover in insuring that the previous records for aircraft carriers at design, built-in reliability, and attention every opportunity following commis- to every detail were a full-bore, ongoing sioning. Witness that she received the effort at Naval Reactors, the Newport highest marks ever awarded a carrier News Shipbuilding Company, and by Captain de Poix, the first Commanding Officer during shakedown training and that the ship’s crew. Our first of its kind light of USS Enterprise she won the Battle Efficiency “E” for reactor nuclear propulsion plant did its (CVA(N)-65). all-round excellence her first year in the job unfailingly and surpassed design USN fleet, an accomplishment not matched by specifications in operation. any other carrier up to that time. Indeed, It is impossible to understate the sig- Enterprise, like a champion thoroughbred nificance of the part played by the crew racehorse, came out of the gate, took the in carrying off the monumental task of lead, and never looked back. getting the ship off on the right track During the entire period of the Big and keeping it there. Every officer and E’s lifetime she has performed with dis- man knew he was lucky to be part of the tinction. In the first year or two of time crew of this magnificent ship, and dem- in the fleet she bore the crushing load onstrated that fact by the operational of a new propulsion system, introduc- excellence consistently shown at sea and ing new aircraft into fleet operations and the spotless conduct of the entire crew using new-design electronics and con- ashore. trol equipment. Added to this was the There could not have been a more 11 12 USS Enterprise CVA(N) / CVN-65: The World’s First Nuclear-powered Aircraft Carrier

worthy successor to the legendary and with CV-6, and we know it cannot with beloved CV-6, which bore a charmed a nuclear-powered carrier. But our Big – and combat distinguished – life in E, CVA(N)-65, will live on in our minds World War II in the Pacific. We wish and hearts, and those of our children and we could look forward to her preserva- their children. Suffice it to say: She has tion, particularly since it did not happen done the State some service. “midword”

Adm. J. L. Holloway III, US Navy (Ret.)

VA(N)-65 was commissioned want them to know that we are fully pre- Cin November 1961 as the USS pared to deal with any contingency and Enterprise, the eighth navy ship to bear it’s better for them to try to deal with us that name. Originally designed for a through diplomacy.” Enterprise made the 25-year service life, America’s military passage through the straits and into the strategy – in its role of leader of the free gulf without incident. world and the world’s only superpower – “The decision to maintain 11 car- has mandated an extension on active duty rier groups,” Panetta said, “is part of the for Enterprise well beyond its planned Defense Department’s five-year plan. In service life. effect, has extended Enter- On January 21, 2012, Defense Sec- prise’s operational life to fifty years in retary Leon Panetta told sailors aboard the active fleet, where the veteran war- the country’s oldest aircraft carrier that ship has been engaged in nearly every the United States is committed to main- major combat operation in the past five taining a fleet of 11 of its formidable decades.” Capt. Holloway on the warships, despite budget pressures, in Enterprise’s fame goes well beyond her bridge during the second WESTPAC in 1967. part to project sea power against Iran. longevity. She was the first nuclear-pow- Panetta also told the crowd of 1,700 ered aircraft carrier in history. Of perhaps USN gathered in the hangar bay of the USS greater significance, Enterprise also was Enterprise that the ship was heading to the first nuclear-powered ship to engage the region and would steam in combat. through the Strait of Hormuz as a direct That event occurred in December message to Tehran. Iran had warned it 1965 and was recognized at the time by would block the strait, a major transit a message from the admiral embarked point for global oil supplies, and bluntly as the carrier division commander, to told the United States not to send carri- the Secretary of the Navy, stating: “I ers into the gulf. The United States has have the distinct honor and pleasure to said it will continue to deploy ships there. announce to you that on the Second “That’s what this carrier is all about,” said Day of December 1965 at 0720H, the Panetta. “That’s the reason we maintain first nuclear-powered task group of your a presence in the Middle East … We Pacific Fleet and the 213 214 USS Enterprise CVA(N) / CVN-65: The World’s First Nuclear-powered Aircraft Carrier

engaged the enemy in .” At of outright patriotism in the atmosphere. 0700, when the Enterprise commenced All three of the Bay area’s main news- air operations, “The carrier’s bridge and papers devoted their full front pages on every available spot on the superstructure June 21, 1966 to the Enterprise’s return were covered with newsmen and military from Vietnam to its new homeport, the observers watching this unprecedented Naval Air Station Alameda, CA. The first in the history of war at sea: the use country was looking for a tangible hero of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in to fuss over and for now, Enterprise was combat operations. With Enterprise’s “IT.” entrance into combat, a new era was In June of 1967 Enterprise completed opened before the world.” So reported her second combat tour in Vietnam and the wire services dispatch covering the again headed for Alameda. The carrier occasion. Enterprise and Air Wing Nine had been 230 days out of homeport and completed every mission on that daily served five uninterrupted 30-day stints flight schedule. CVW-9 flew 125 strike at , flying a total of more sorties on that date, unloading 167 tons than 14,000 sorties from her , of bombs and rockets on the enemy. of which 11,470 were combat sorties, From that day forward, Enterprise and delivering a total of 14,023 tons of would embark on an operational career ordnance. This amounted to 114 tons of that not only set performance records TNT per day against a well-defended among the carriers conducting combat enemy. As in all combat tours, Enterprise operations in the Vietnam War; she also and her air wing paid a price, losing 20 established the persuasive justification for aircraft and 18 air crewmen to hostile fire. the incorporation of in all The finest recognition of Enterprise, her future aircraft carriers in the U.S. Navy. embarked air wing and her gallant sailors In spite of being a relatively new ship, for the 1965–1967 combat deployments fighting in a high tempo war for the first to Vietnam was the award of the coveted time, Enterprise won the Battle Efficiency Navy Unit Commendation. “E” award for being the best carrier in the Although Enterprise’s early fleet Pacific fleet for the year 1965. operations included a circumnavigation Enterprise returned from her first of the globe and successful combat tours combat deployment in Vietnam to San in Vietnam, follow-on nuclear-powered Francisco in late June of 1966 to a real carriers were not immediately to come hero’s welcome. At that time she had about. The stumbling block was Secre- an impressive cachet. She was the larg- tary of Defense Robert McNamara, who est ship in the world, the first and only cited the increased costs of nuclear power nuclear carrier, and her eight reactors in the carrier and was unable or unwill- gave her a speed of more than 40 miles an ing to quantify the improved operational hour. Then, too, at that time the major- advantages that resulted. In his view, ity of the American people supported the the nuclear-powered carrier was not war. The Bay Area had declared the day “cost effective.” Consequently, the next of return “Enterprise Day,” and any sailor two carriers, America (CV-66) and John with an Enterprise shoulder patch could F. Kennedy (CV-67) in the fiscal year get a free drink in most of the bars in San 1961 and 1963 programs respectively, Francisco on that day. There was a feeling were conventionally powered improved “Midword” – Adm. J. L. Holloway III, USN (Ret.) 215 versions of the basic Forrestal design. proving to have very long lives. The reason Then in the fall of 1966, Rickover is twofold. First is the extraordinarily invited McNamara and members of his stringent quality control of materials and staff, accompanied by the Secretary of the skill in workmanship that goes into the Navy, the CNO, and selected members initial construction of a nuclear-powered of the OPNAV staff, including myself vessel. The second reason is the tender as the nuclear carrier project officer, to loving care – TLC – given to the ship the Bettis Laboratory in Pittsburgh by the crew of talented and dedicated for a briefing on a surface-ship reac- young sailors who conduct the routine tor that would be rated at 70,000 shp. maintenance and repair of these carriers. Secretary McNamara was impressed by This does not just apply to the nuclear the presentation and upon his return to components. The sense of motivation Washington he wrote to the Secretary of is transmitted to the entire ship struc- the Navy asking if two of these reactors ture. Enterprise’s weapon systems have could power an aircraft carrier, and, if so, remained modernized over her 50-year would the navy be interested in such a life span because her military capabili- design. The initial reaction in the Pen- ties reside in her embarked aircraft. In tagon was only lukewarm. At that point, a sense, an aircraft carrier’s performance Admiral Rickover personally involved can be modernized in as little time as it himself in the deliberations and, after a takes to fly one aircraft off and a newer quick but intense consultation with his model aboard. staff, affirmed that he could boost the The demonstrations in the Bay area output of his large-surface ship reactor in 1966 of support for our sailors and car- from 70,000 to 90,000 shp. riers, our navy and our nation, inspired by Dr Harold Brown, Director of the spectacle of the world’s largest ship the Department of Defense Design, exploiting America’s unique technology Development, Research and Engineer- and competence in nuclear power; and ing (DDR&E) Directorate and later then the debates in the Congress favor- Secretary of Defense, observed, “Bob ing the naval appropriations for nuclear [Secretary McNamara] has been so carriers, were early evidence of the pow- inflexible on opposing nuclear power for erful legacy of Enterprise, one that has carriers in spite of the technical advances manifested itself in the construction of by the industry and the remarkable per- 11 large deck carriers to create today’s all- formance of nuclear ships in combat at nuclear carrier force as the main battle sea, that he can’t change his policy with- line of the U.S. Navy’s fleet. The Big E’s out an overriding reason. The two-reactor compelling motto, “Ready on Arrival,” carrier now gives him that excuse.” has deservedly evolved to today’s: “We Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are Are Legend!” “ Aftword”

Capt. W. C. Hamilton Jr. – Last CO of USS Enterprise CVN-65

he beginning of the Enterprise Marines, which numbered in excess of Tlineage pre-dates the United 200,000 during its 51 years of service. States Navy and the Declaration of Inde- The tasking was no less challenging for pendence. The immediate predecessor to shipyard workers, some of whom spent CVN-65 carried the fight in the Pacific their entire professional lives designing, during World War II and was the most building, overhauling, and upgrading decorated warship in our nation’s his- CVN-65. The education, skill, hard tory. The name Enterprise defines its own work, and complete devotion to duty ethos. A compilation of definitions from required to keep this unique warship several of the most popular dictionaries ready for combat was well known on the could be assembled into the following waterfront. Revealing that one had been appropriate description: assigned to Enterprise was often met with muffled laughter and false condolences Enterprise: An especially daring from those who had never served aboard and courageous undertaking driven her and genuine respect from those who by a bold and adventurous spirit. had. Once aboard, Sailors and Marines It was the perfect description of USS quickly acclimated to the challenge of Enterprise (CVN-65). The ship was being Enterprise. Dread was replaced one-of-a-kind, the likes of which will with pride as they became experts on the never be seen again. It was built at great warship others avoided. They embraced technical risk and was, at the time of the long-standing motto, “There’s tough, its construction, the largest ship in the and there’s Enterprise tough,” proud to world. Powered by eight nuclear reactors, be part of something difficult, some- its complicated propulsion plant was a thing historic; something special. At the nightmare to operate and maintain but end of their assigned tours they often provided redundancy and flexibility its transferred from the ship physically and successors could never match. Without emotionally drained, seeking orders to siblings, the ship’s singular existence somewhere they could recuperate. But required unusually arduous effort and more often than not they would, by their undivided attention from its Sailors and own choice, return later in their careers 627 628 USS Enterprise CVA(N) / CVN-65: The World’s First Nuclear-powered Aircraft Carrier

in pursuit of the pride, the challenge, and characteristics of a 1961-model Chevro- the rush of being Enterprise. let, except that a true comparison was only While some may insist that a ship has possible if the Chevrolet was equipped a soul, others might consider the idea of with eight manually choked engines, an inanimate object having a spirit inane eight generators, four-wheel drive, and or even blasphemous. The thought that was the only example ever built. Once the a piece of steel could be self-aware, crew got the ship running it seemed as if harbor emotion, and, most importantly, she would run forever. It was as though be at its best when times are the worst, the ship resented being shut down to cold is something found only in science fic- iron and wouldn’t forgive the transgres- tion. However, if one reviewed the life sion until she was once again running at and times of USS Enterprise (CVN 65) 30 knots in an open ocean. and passed judgment based wholly on Most of my experience with Enter- observation, while discounting socially prise came fairly late in her life when she and scientifically acceptable paradigms was challenging the crew almost hourly. and religious beliefs, the evidence would Many times the ship would take the crew clearly support the notion that she did to the brink such that any additional fail- indeed have a soul. ure would render it unable to accomplish CVN-65 did not like to be awakened its mission. But that additional failure from a long slumber. The appearance of either never happened or it happened a cold start-up on the operational calen- at a time when it wasn’t critical to the dar was always met with groans from the operational schedule. Enterprise seemed Engineering and Reactor departments. somehow to know just how hard the crew Chances were slim that eight reactors, was working and what the limits were. eight coolant turbine generators, eight Maybe she understood what was at stake, ship service turbine generators, and four both for her and the crew. propulsion plants could be brought to life As Captain, I saw the ship hang on without technical difficulties. The 1961- until the last airplane was aboard more model ship shared the cold-natured than once, squeezing out that last knot of wind across the deck required for the Hawkeye while running through oil fields in the North Arabian Gulf. I saw it finish a downwind launch at maximum speed with lowering main engine vacuum because it was circulating 96-degree sea- water through the condensers. I saw the ship labor through the Thimble Shoals Channel, its seawater intakes rapidly clogging with a major bryozoan spawn, and make it to safe waters on a single remaining operational shaft. And I saw the number three engine blow its main packing on the last trap the night before the ship was scheduled to pull into port. When it appeared things “Aftword” – Capt. W. C. Hamilton Jr. 629

Capt. William C. Hamilton Jr. hosts Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta while Enterprise steamed in the Atlantic Ocean on January 21, 2012 during CompTuEx, prior to the final deployment. SECDEF Panetta is sitting in the skipper’s chair on the port side of the navigation bridge.

USN, MC2 Michael L. Croft Jr.

were going badly, Enterprise always got To truly appreciate the longevity of the job done. Maybe the ship understood CVN-65, one must contrast the Amer- that if she demonstrated an inability to ica of 1961 with that of 2012. The most accomplish the mission, she might be prominent difference was illustrated in sent to the scrap yard. the diversification of the crew. There This Enterprise was designed to last were few prospects for minorities or approximately 25 years and the Navy had women aboard warships in 1961. In 2012, no intention of keeping her past about 20 the crew mix was such that minorities or so. She served honorably and superbly were the majority and both minorities for 51 years, more than half the history of and women served in positions of great at the time of inactivation responsibility. They operated nuclear in December of 2012. USS Enterprise reactors, conned the ship, flew jet air- (CVN 65) sailed on 25 extended deploy- craft, lead major departments comprised ments in support of America’s national of hundreds of Sailors and Marines, and interests, more than any other aircraft commanded Carrier Strike Groups. They carrier whether calculated in total or redefined the “bold and adventurous per year of life. She sailed virtually every spirit” of Enterprise and were an integral ocean on the planet. She saw the Cuban part of its ethos. missile crisis up close. She saw airplanes It is easy to romanticize about the launch and never recover off the coast prospect of the ship having a soul. But I of Vietnam. And she launched the first don’t for a minute believe that a piece of strikes against the after 9/11. steel alone can have a soul. I do, however, 630 USS Enterprise CVA(N) / CVN-65: The World’s First Nuclear-powered Aircraft Carrier

firmly believe that Enterprise – the ship, most dedicated Sailors and Marines in her faithful and devoted crew, and the the history of the Naval Service, and shipyard folks that spent their lives build- to briefly occupy the Captain’s Chair ing and maintaining her – comprised a on CVN-65. It is my sincere hope that collective soul born before America was someday in the not too distant future the United States that will continue long another Captain will enjoy the life-defin- after CVN-65 is decommissioned. ing moment of watching the first aircraft The greatest honor and privilege of launch from the deck of his aircraft car- my professional life was to be a part of rier, an aircraft carrier with a soul; an Enterprise, to serve with the finest and aircraft carrier named USS Enterprise.

Captain William C. Hamilton Jr. is a native a tour as executive officer, during which he of Alabama, where he earned an undergradu- deployed to the North Atlantic for Summer ate degree in Aerospace Engineering from Pulse ’04. Capt. Hamilton has logged over Auburn University in 1981. He also holds a 5500 total flight hours and over 850 carrier Master of Science degree from the University during his career. During 2012 he of Tennessee. His first deployment in USS was serving as the 23rd and final command- Enterprise (CVN 65) was to fly patrol mis- ing officer of USS Enterprise. sions over Bosnia and Iraq, later followed by