Turn out the lights, the party’s over…

November 25, 1961 to November 4, 2012…

Just a few days short of 51 years…

And they are ‘literally’ turning out the lights.

Whatinthehellamitalkingabout???

The USS ENTERPRISE pulled into Norfolk yesterday ending the longest commissioned run of any US Navy ship other than the USS Constellation.

She was literally one of a kind, the only ship of her class ever built, and the first CV(N) for nuclear power.  For almost 51 years, 25 deployments; and thousands of days and nights of watches, and over one hundred thousand sailors, she’s been ‘manned’ by the watch.

Today they started shutting down the reactors for the final time.  Never again will the Big “E” sail under her own power, and she will officially be decomissioned in December…

Hand Salute!
Ready Two… 


Welcome home to the Officers, Men and Women of the Enterprise Strike Group.  Y’all done good, and you took her out with class.

 

Comments

Turn out the lights, the party’s over… — 22 Comments

  1. Wow, they are going to tow her all the way to PSNS to decommission the reactors so that they can barge them up the Columbia River to Hanford.

  2. I think you mean the longest serving commissioned ship other than the USS Constitution.

  3. Pueblo is also still in commission, technically.

    Honestly, we should have taken her out ourselves once we realized we weren’t getting her back.

  4. I only got to sail alongside the Big E once; usually, our desron accompanied the America. She was magnificent, though, and served admirably. It’s always sad when a proud warship is decommissioned (mine has been an artificial reef for nearly 30 years).

  5. Anon- Yeah, makes a LOT of sense doesn’t it…

    Joe- You’re correct, my bad…

    eia- Is true!!! 🙂

    gfa- Concur!

    CP- Nah, it was time! She was tired…

    Geo- You are correct, but Pueblo is actually newer than the Enterprise.

    Rev- True!

    Les- Sadly, closer to the truth than you know…

  6. I wish they would name the next carrier “Enterprise”. I am still trying to figure out why they quit naming carriers for battles and started naming them for politicians.

  7. MrG: The original intent was to name them for the 5-star flag officers from WWII. Nimitz (of course) was first, then Eisenhower. That’s where the politicians got involved. Stennis and Vinson were tentatively named King and Bradley.

  8. I wish they would name the next carrier “Enterprise”. I am still trying to figure out why they quit naming carriers for battles and started naming them for politicians.

    In the immortal words of Admiral Rickover: “fish don’t vote.”

    Frankly, I’m amazed that the Big E lasted as long as she did. 50 years is about twice the life of most of the other surface combatants!

  9. Thank you all of you who served on her for your diligence and your duty.

    I hope that generations to come will still remember.

  10. Well Done to all who served on her.

    Never got to go on the Enterprise, but I did get to go on the Nimitz a few times when I had one of those “real neat jobs” a long time ago…..

  11. The party is not over. She is to live on in legend and story.

    Thanks to all the sailors who kept her going all these years! Job well done.

  12. The next CVN named after we switch back to a Republican will likely be named Enterprise, for tradition’s sake. (I’d also like to see CVNs named Midway, Hornet, and Yorktown.)

    Unfortunately, my money for CVN80 through whatever to go for names like Che Guevera, Hugo Chavez, Yasser Arafat, etc., until that happens. IF we build any new CVNs after CVN78.